New-York tribune., 1918-06-24
Charges Laxity
In Location of
Nitrate Plants
Representative Smell Says
Muscle Shoals Has Water
Power 9 Months in Year

1@cPl eoelIatlVe bertrand ii. Shell, OF
Potsdam, N. Y, is convinced that when
the history of the present great war is
written one cf the leading curiosit;es
of legislation incident to it will be the
governments adventure in the building
Of nitrate plants.
Showed along principally by Southern
members under. the guise OF it's being
a war necessity, the House of Repre-
sentatives, apparently with the ap-
proval of the President, is "standing
for" an expenditure CT about $50, ,000, 900
for two nitrate plants to be built near
the Muscle Shoals on the Tennessee
River, at Sheffield, Ala, in the north
eastern part Of that state.
The building of the plants is under
way. They are commonly supposed to
be "hydro- electric" in their character
that is, plants where water power gem
crates about 100000 horsepower the
year around for the production of cleo
tricity
Auxiliary Steam Plants
And yet-and here is where Mr.. Shell
thinks the curiosity part comes in
there is not sufficient water power in
the Tennessee River to drive these
plants more than nine months in the
year. This is admitted by the engi-
neers in their reports on the project
as we'll as by the sponsors for the leg
islatlon authorizing it. The deficiency
in water power is to be supplied by the
use Of coal and steam.
Mr.. Smell the first Week in April
directed the attention of the House to
have to be driven by steam power for
at least three months in the year
if thsy are operated continuously, and
declared the government might avail
itself of the st. Lawrence River, with
an all-the-year- water power.
Representative Longwcrth, Of Ohio
supplemented the statement by calling
attention to the past record Of the
Muscle Shoals proposition, showing
that the proposition to install a gov
ernment power plant there had come
up again and again, and after investi-
cation and devate had been turned
down as unwarranted.
Under the guise of war emergency
Will IHolIev UelHS SPeIiC Dy llllIloiio AHO
tens Of millions for supposed war ne
cessities, Representative Edward B
Almon, of Alabama, who is steering the
measure through the House, has beer
unable to convince Congress that the
best place in the United States to build
two of these nitrate plants is at Muscle
Shoals.
Can't Quit Work Now
1t appears now as though the work
is so far under way the government
cannot abandon it without wasting mill
ions of dollars.
1t is understood the money for the
project will be taken from the emer-
gency deficiency fund. uthorized il
1917. for armament or fortifications.
"There is little probability" sale
Representative Shell yesterday at The
Union League Club, chat even the first
of the three plants our Democratic
friends in the House propose to builc
will be ready for the production o.
two years, or maybe three years. 1t is
hoped by the contractors that the frs
unit of the experimental plant will b.
completed this fall. The cost of tn,
first plant will be between $10,000,00'
and $15,ooo,0oo. They are building il
connection with plant No. / a steam
plant of about 10000 horsepower to in
sure. continuous operation when tn
water power fails in the Tennessee
River in midsummer.
Cost Is $35,000,000
"Plant No. is on the lower dam o
Muscle Shoals. This proposed plan
has an estimated capacity of 10000
tons annually, and will cost betweel
$35, 100000 and $45,000,00G. This plan
is about 10 per cent completed. The.
are building in connection with tn
nitrate works steam plant of $1,000
horsepower. Instead of it being
hydro-electric power plant, steam
plant will be Indispensable to keep
going during the drouth periods.
~ expect the government to go ahea'
and spend the hundred millions, NOR
cr less, with the strong probability tina
the per ton cost of production o
nitrates from these plants will be s.
great they will not be able to compel
with privately owned plants after tn
war"
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