The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-04-02
Holland Gives His Wen
OF Muscle Shoals Work
Means That After the War This Entire District Is Be-
come One of the Greatest
in the World
by HOLLAND


New York, April 1.-(Special) -There is
something almost weird, mysterious, like
the almost magic demonstrations which
the professor of chemistry employs in
teaching his students the science, which
is suggested by the electro-chemical in
dustry as that has been developed in the
past three years. 1t is relatively speak
ing, new industry. 1t was made pos
sible by the high development of the
dynamo and up to this time has secured
the best results through the utilization
OF the water power at Niagara Falls
some 20 years ago. At the time the Nj
agara Falls water power was taken UP
by the various industries established on
the bank of the Niagara river, the
amount of energy transformed into cleo
trio energy was spoken of as something
stupendous 1t was one of the great
topics of the time. 1t was said that the
equivalent of as much as 10000 horse
power was to be secured by this Niagara
Falls development, and that this would
be sufficient to supply industries stretch
Wing southerly to Buffalo, westerly as far
as the Ohio line and easterly as far as
Rochester, and also far into Canada.
That enterprise is now. however,
dwarfed by the undertaking of which in
formation came to New York today,
which is now under way upon that Fart
of the Tennessee river where the rapids
have interfered with navigation. Ulu-
mately perhaps as much as 100000 horse
power will be recovered through the util-
ization of dams whereby the currents in
the rapids will be captured. and then
converted into electricity. This means in
evitably wonderful industrial growth in
that part of the south. 1t will supple
| ment the industrial expansion OF the Biz
mingham district in Alabama, which, in
itself, is now esteemed one of the great
est of American industrial achievements.
In 1900 the electro-chemical Industrial,
which was then new industry, was
turning out products of the value of con-
siderab bly, over $100.000.000 year.
Now DIR. Colin G. Fink, president OF
the American ectro-chemical society,
which is to visit the Muscle Shoals dis
trict in April. states that it remained for
the European war ITO demonstrate most
forcibly the utter dependence of our
country's economic welfare, progress and
safety upon the products of the electro
lytic cell and the electric furnace There
are many products which, before the de-
velopment of electro-chemistry, were
either unknown or else expensive to pro-
duce which are now easily and at rea-
sonable cost, obtained by the use of the
eleotric-chemical process. Almost every
one of these products, DR.. Fink says
lis absolutely essential toward carrying
OUT successfully our. sincere and noble
purpose in the present world crisis
WHAT WE DID FOR COPPER
The best authorities say that more
than Is per cent of the copper consumed
today is produced by the electrolysls
process That copper exceeds in purely
sterling silver. The entire electric in
dustry, as we now know II, including
dynamos, motors, the telephone, the tel
egraph and the wireless and electro
magnetic devices, would be impaired and
perhaps destroyed if 1t were possible to
furnish for its manufacture electroiyuc
copper.
DR. Fink goes on the say that the pest
icrucible steel today cannot comPe.e W. =.
electric steel and Furthermore, that ~
years ago electric steel furnaces We're
looked upon as expensive experiments
whereas today they form an indispensi-
bly, equipment on every MODERN s,eci
plant.
But what is of especial interest TO the
country Just now is the impulse given py
| the government through its PATRONAGE
and its appropriation of s5o,00o.0l0 to the
ammonia plants at Muscle Shoals There
| through the mystic power Of chemistry,
| hydrogen secured by the electric process
| from water, is to be brought INTO fea.
ton with nitrogen drawn from tne AZ
mosphere so that thereby ammonia can
| be secured in almost limitless amounts
whereas in another plant nitric ACIDS ana
nitrate will be made. Vast as are many
OF the Industrial undertakings -occa-
stoned by the war, it is probably tnat
| none of them will exceed in magnitude
the stupendous industry which is TO De
\ established at Muscle Shoals. Very soon
as many as 10000 skilled artisans VIII De
employed upon this work, and 1t has been
no small problem how best to provide
4 speedily, house accommodations Tor the
Iconstantly increasing number OF skilled
artisans who win be called into this I'M
dertakng.
i The government appropriation OF $'o,-
0oo 600 is! to be divided 50 that SSo,oU0,tV
will be expended for a cyanamid nitro
gen fixa,ion plant; $5.0a0.0N for the syn
thetic process nitrate plant and $zo,oooOcu