The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-12-23
WORLDS BIGGEST
NITRATE PLANT
Mammoth Explosives Factory
In Alabama Built in
Eight Months.
AL SPEED RECORDS BROKEN
Could Supply 10 Per Cent Of
Allies Needs Had War
Continued.
AL SPEED RECORDS BROKEN
~ GARRETT SMITH.

mig and building In less than one year
Of the largest ammonium nitrate plant
Ia the world and of a city around II
for the housing Of Its $4,000 workmpn
and their families Az the same time
Is revealed one of The chief reasons
Why Germany suddenly surrendered a
year ago. The German high command
knew that the United States was
ready at Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to
manufacture 10 per cent of all the
high explosives needed by all the Al
lied armies on all fronts In the expect
ed drive Of the following spring.
The first person on construction
work reached Muscle Shoals on No
vember 20, 1917 On February 16,
1918, ground was first broken for a
permanent plant building. On Octo,
Der 2G, 1918, eight months and eight
days later, the manufacturing plant
had begun the production of ammo
mum nitrate
When America entered the world
war In April, 1917 she had no means
of producing the enormous quantities
OF high explosives necessary. to pro.
vide the huge army she planned to
raise, The very fact that our indus
tries were already worked to capacity
providing ammunition to the allies
seemed to make further production for
our own use impossible,
Fertilizer Process Turned to War Use
At this juncture the Ordnance De
partment turneA to cyanamld, a com.
mercal fertilizer, which had for some
years been produced successfully al
Niagara Falls, by process the Ameri'
can rights Of which were obtained in
1907 from Germany by Frank Sher
man Washburn, head Of the American
Cyanamid Company.
BY this process cyanamid was pro
dueed by extracting nitrogen from the
air and combining 1t with calcium OBJ,
taincd from limestone rock and carbon
. from coke BY putting cynnamid
through three more processes both am.
monla and nitric acid can be extracted
from II and combined into the explo
sive, ammonium nitrate. Mr., Wash
burn was invited 70 present plans and
estimates for the construction In the
shortest possible time Of an ammonium
nitrate plant at Muscle Shoals, Ala
bama, and contract between. his com
pany and the United States was enter
ed into under date OF NoveAber 10
1917.
10 have general supervision OF plan
ming and carrying out the work an or
uanization known az The Air Nitrates
CORPORATION was formed 10 act as
agent OF the Ordnance Department
This corporation provided the general
designs. supervised all the work and
operated the camp, the town and the
pIant. II also installed all equipment
IN the chemical plant. The various
other sections Of the work were sub
let to organizations that were special
ists in the directions In which they
were asked to help.
New City Built From the Ground.
II was necessary 10 build new
fawn 10 house the lahorers For this
lob Westinghouse Church Kerr Com
nauy was called in rs contractor. This
company also butt the buildings Of th'
chemical plant Within four mouths
1o.oo0 workmen had been assembled
and city capable OF accommodating
$4,000 inhabitants had been completed
with lodging, restaurants. stores, OF
Aces, police headquarters, schools, fr'
departments. hospitals, motion picture
theaters. electric light and sewerage
systems
The construction OF the plant prope
was begun on February 16, lelS Jus
eight months and eight days later tn
b,g plant began steady output of am
monlum nitrate. The plant contains
11s permanent buildings. with roo
area OF over 90 acres.
To provide the electric current
wos necessary tc build steam powe
electric plant. for It wound have take
three years or more to complete tn
dam and hydro-eiectric station now I'm
der way. This plant, built by the ]. G
white Corporation Is one of the Larry
est steam plants for developing cleo
trical energy in the world.
TIE output Of the plant Is 500 tons 0
ammonium nitrate day. and this ca
be produced at Muscle Shoals at q cos
less than one-half the standard lixe
price paid by the Government for an
monhm nitrate produced by othe
methods and one.fourth TO one-fifta tn
cost os other high explosives If eGus
strength. Compares with the olde
process Of making ammonium nitraI'
the savings made ty this plant woul
have paid the s60,eOo0oo cost OF th
entire plant in about one and one-hsl
years Of operation.
Asa military weapon II Is one OF IN
wissst and most economical expend
lures thar the Ordinance Departmer
has undertaken. As "a agent IN ssss
ping the wsr ana as future pFote'
tion to the country It's valus y iasslc'
lshlA