Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1919-12-25
MUSCLE SHOALS
NATIONS BULWARR
Bio S6O,0OO,OOO Nitrate Plant
a Defense for Future
Generations.
INSURES NATIONAL DEFENSE
Assurance of Abundant Amerl-
can Explosives a Reason
Why Germany Quit.
INSURES NATIONAL DEFENSE
BY GARRETT SMITH.


teas new military defense system
which developed out OF the World |
War is the Ammonium Nitrate Plant !
at Muscle Shoals. Alabama. on the |
Tennessee River, over three hundred |
miles from the seacoast, capable Of
turning out 300 tons OF high explosives !
a day. II assures TO the United States
for all time an abundance OF ammuni' |
lion without which an army is help |
less encumbrance and IL has made |
this unlimited supply of explosives
available without resort TO raw ma |
terla from outside OF the country.
The essential ingredient OF all mod |
ern military explosives in nitric acid |
BEFORE the World War, America was
entirely dependent upon Chile FOR til |
supply OF nitrate OF soda, the only |
chemical from which nitric acid car
be made In case this country became |
involved In war with any nation tina
could control the sen our foe would |
have us at her mercy, for she couG
cut of our essential means Of strikin. |
back
Other nations, however. wer,
equally dependent upon the Chilean
nitrate supply. Germany was pur
chasing One-ihird OF It. She had TX
pected TO hold the sea with her sub
marines but failed But process
for extracting nitrogen from the ali
had been obtained by Germany some
years before from Italian chemists.
This process had been successful III
producing high grade heterogeneous
fertilizer from which In turn could
he extracted ammonium nitrate Ger
many, therefore, fell Ia manufacturing
ammonium nitrate from the air on a
large scale.
Americans Buy German Secret.
In 1907 an American company, head.
ed by Frank 8. Washburn, had secured
the American rights TO this process
from Germany and had gone into man
ufacturing the fertilizer on the Cana
dian side OF the Niagara Falls. When
America found herself in the World
War the Ordnance Department turned
TO Mr.. Washburn's company for help
The Air Nitrates Corporation was
formed, with Mr. Washburn al its
head. to build the Muscle Shoals plant.
II was assisted by several other well
known corporations. such as the West.
inghouse Church Kerr Company, which
put mp the plant buildings the perma.
Dent city and utilities; the J. c. White
Corporation, which designed and con
structed the power plant the Chem
zeal Construction Company, which de
signed and built the nitric acid plant, |
and The NJ. w. kellogg Company which
furnished the piping and built tho
chimneys.
Beginning work in November, 1917, |
The big plant and new city at Muscle |
Shoals was completed within one
years time. Had the expected spring |
drive OF 1919 materialized this one
plant alone would have been able 10 |
supply 13 per cent. of all the high |
explosives used by all the Allied ar
and the United States was secure for !
all time TO come against an ammuni |
lion shortage.
- When the arrangement was finally
made for building the big air nitrate |
plant. work was begun on power |
lam M the same point This work Is
aeing conducted directly by the Unit |
cd States Engineering Corps II Will |
not he completed, however. for two OF
three more years. II was necessary |
therefore,, in order TO insure immr
diatc operation when the nitrate plant |
was completed TO construct n $4,000 |
600 steam power plant, one OF the larg |
est steam plants for the production of |
COP linuous electric power in the world /
II T. pointed ont that even had the /
watcr-power plant been completed dur.
ing the war Il would have been neces
sary also to have constructed steam |
plant To insure the nitrate plant work |
ing at fun capacity ct all times dur
ing The year.
Plant Worth All II Cost.
Now. This entire Job cost the Govern
nIfill NOb,OvO,ptO. II WAS pun lnIONkn
AT Zine when the prices OF materials |
and labor were at their summit II |
was built at record speed, and speed |
costs money. The question naturally |
arises, then, as 10 whether Uncle Sam
got his moneys worth
Tests made after the plant was In |
operation showed that ammonium nj |
frate Of standard specifications could |
he produced az this plant nj q cost OF
less than one-half the standard fixed |
price paid by the Government FOR am |
monium nitrate produced by lie Older |
methods. This cost 10 only about one
fourth TO one-nfth the cost OF other
high explosives OF equal strength |
Compared with the older process for
making ammonium nitrate, the say. |
ings made by this plant would have
paid for the entire plant In about one
aud one-half years Of operation.
The chief value OF the Muscle Shoals
n