The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-08-23
NIFRRTES Plant TO
COST S3O,OOO,OOO
largest Dam in the World
is One of the
Features.
By FREDERICK N. KERRY
On. Z. A. Stan Correspondent

The United States government will
never again have to depend upon
Chilean nitrates for the manufacture
Of its explosives.
One Of the greatest OF modern power
projects, that will furnish the power
70 take nitrogen from the air and
Fix II by the cyanamid process 10
make nitric acid and ammonium NJ
tFate for war use, is under way at Mus.
Gle Shoals, on the Tennessee river in
northern Alabama.
The nitrate plant is the outcome OF
ten-years' fight 10 secure water
power development a this plant. The
government is spending S3000OO00 70
develop the $4,000 available horse
power, and with Il produce nitratos
from the air
The Cnce sleepy little town o. Shelf.
field and its sister towns OF Florence
and Tuscumbia. look like the site OF
an army cautOnmcnt. Twenty thou
sand men art al work. Housing struc.
lures have already been erected 20
take care OF 1900, and more are go
ing up as rapidly as lumber and nails
and man power can construct them.
The muddy waters Of the Tennessee
river are filled with barges Of stone.
coal and all kinds Of material marked
~. S. government. Long lines Of
mule teams, their negro drivers nod
ding in the sunshine. move along the
river hank.
Two Great Dams Needed.
Remarkable progress has been
made in the work. Two immense
power dams must be constructed TO
develop the water power. They will
not be finished in time for use during
the war. unless it should last far long.
eF than is now anticipated.
But work on the process plants has
been rushed TO completion and they
will be operated by steam until the
water power is ready. Plant No. |
has been operating since last October
It's ammonium nitrate shipments are
already going 10 the government pow.
der mill at Hadley's Bend, near Nash.
Vile. Eventually IT will supply one
half Of its output to explosive plants,
where II will be mixed with TINT"
and loaded into shells.
Nitrate Plant No. is nearly com.
plote and will begin operation with
IN two months. using power furnished
By the Alabama Power company TEN
pOFaTily.
The great power project-the gov
eFnment's life insurance against III.
tuFe Wars-calls for the erection OF
three dams in the Tennessee river.
One Is a small one for the control Of
navigation only. The other two are
giant structures; the larger, known
aS Dam No. 2, will be l04 feet high
and $500 feet long To with It an
S50-fOot power house will be construct
cd. The two buildings together will
require 100000 cubic yards Of con-
crete. This is tremendously larger
than the great Roosevelt dam in Ari-
iona, which contains 100000 cubic
yards Of concrete. or the Croion dam
In New York. which has $4,000 cubic
yards. This dam and power house will
deevlop 100000 horsepower.
Longest Dam in World.
Dom No. 3 Is Is miles up stream
from the first dam. 1t will be 40 fec;
high, but II will be 5,425 feet long
the longest dam in the world, exceed
Ing even the famous Assouan dam in
the Upper Nile by % feet
The governments estimates OF the
cost Of power development on the
w,ka1n A,afncN ehovr thot 10 mill bo Ice e
than 1.2 mills per kilowatthour At
Niagara Falls, the cost Of developing
electricity ranges from l6 mills 10
more than mills per kilowatt.hour.
When completed these power plants
and the nitrate plants using the
pWer. will turn out nitric acid and
ammonium nitrate not only for eXplo.
sives, but for dyestuhs and fertilizer.
An American dyestuif industry forever
independent Of Germany will thus be
assured.
What this will mean 10 the Ameri.
can farmers, too, can scarcely be real
lied. Nitrogen is an essential in soils.
heterogeneous fertilizers have been high
II cost because the sole source Of sup.
ply for the United states has been the
Chilean nitrate beds After the war,
with this great plant in government
ownership, and the necessity OF pro.
ducing nitric acid and ammonium nj
tFate for explosives reduced 10 a mini
mum. the plant will be able to devote
much Of its capacity to the production
Of fertilizer. This can be sold at cost
70 faFmeFs.
New Era for South.
The power developed here Is going
TO make this part Of the south the cen.
ter Of a great electro.chemlcal and
electro.metallurgical industry Within
q 300,mlle radius OF Muscle Shoals
are to be found raw materials for half
q dozen such industries These in.
elude Arkansas banxite. for aluminium
manufacture; magnesium from the
Tennessee valley beds Of magnetism
dolomite; potash from the high grade
potash felspars OF the southern Appa.
laehians: zinc. ferro-silicn. and ferro.
phosphorus: calcium carbide from
limestone and coal near by; chlorine.
cauStic alkall and sodium. from the
salt wells Of West Virginia and Louis.
lana; electrodes from the graphite
fields Of Alabama; phosphorus fertili.
ger from the deposits Of phosphate
rock within so miles OF Muscle Shoals.
Il only requires an abundance Of cheap
power TO make these raw materials
available.
Because Niagara Falls had the cheap
power, banixite has been shipped ell
the way from Arkansas there 10 make
Aluminium, Graphite had been sent