The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-12-30
Had Sold TO America Secret
Of Making Explosive
From Air.
BIG NITRATE PLANT RESULTS.
Built in Eight Months II Con-
Ylnces Kaiser Of His Defeat.
BY GARRETT SMITH.

J Is the story OF how the Ordnance he
partment Of the United States Army
made II possible for America, until
then utterly lacking in ammunition
and In facilities for making 1t. 10 man
ufacture unlimited quantities of pow
erful explosives out OF air and rock
It was largely the knowledge OF this
fact that forced Germany to surrender
when she did.
The secret was secured from Ger.
many herself. II was an open bust.
ness transaction between business
men, whereby we apparently acquired
nothing more military than a process
for making high grade fertilizer
known AS cyanamid.
Frank Sherman Washburn, head Of
the group Of business men who bought
this process. conceived the germ Of
The idea In the early nineties while In
South America as consulting engineer
In connection with the production and
shipping Of Chilean nitrate OF soda.
! Nitrogen compounds are an essential
part OF ELL commercial fertilizers. The
only available natural nitrate deposits
in large quantities are in Chile This
supply was diminishing Germany,
which had been taking about one
third Of the Chilean nitrates, was al,
ready experimenting with processes
for their artificial production. In 1907
Mr.. Washburn secured in Germany
the American rights Of the cyanamid
process which had been invented In
that country.
Turning Air Into a Weapon.
BY this process air, which is a mix.
ture OF about four-ffths nitrogen gas
and one-tifth oxygen, Is placed in con.
tainers and subjected to pressure and
cold until 1t turns to a liquid. Then
the nitrogen is distilled in much the
same manner as alcohol is separated |
from water. But before this nitrogen
can he used as a fertilizer ii must be
combined with chemical combination
of lime and carbon known as calcium
carbide, produced by burning ordinary
limestone In big rotary kilns and com.
bining It In the electric furnace with
carbon supplied in the form OF ordI.
nary coke.
Cyanamid thus produced contains
the elements Of ammonium nitrate, one
~ the most powerful Of modern explo.
sives. BY one process ammonia is ok |
Iracted from the cyaDamid BY an. 4
other process nitric acid is extracted
from another batch OF this same sya.
namld. Then the ammonia and nitric
acid are combined and there you have
ammonium nitrate ready for packing
inlQ shells with INT.
IRE are three kinds Of explosives
usen for bursting shells in modern
warfare-TNT, pierre acid and ammo
MUM nitrate. The United States was
equally deficient In raw materials and
plants for manufacturing all three OF
these explosives Under the best OF
conditions the cost Of either INT or
nitric acid is about two and one.half
the cost Of ammonium nitrate. But
the United States was wholly depend
ent upon Chilean nitrate Of soda as
raw material for ammonium nitrate,
with the exception Of a small produc-
ton OF nitrogen from the coking Of
coal. The Chilean supply was 4,50o
miles away from New York City by
way Of the Panama Canal, and the
route by way Of the Straits of Magel-
an is nearly twice as long
A Record Building Operation.
Shortly after tie war began in Eu.
-ope the German government entered
nto the fxation Of sir nitrogen fol
military explosives on vast scale. II
vas not, however, until the fall Of 1911
hat the United States government
ook II up.
The Ordnance Department asked Mr.
company TO organize
corporation, known as the
Air Nitrates Corporation. with Mr.
Nashburn as president. to act as
gent Of the government for the con.
tructlon and operation Of the air nj.
rates plant at Muscle Shoals. Ala.
anna. This corporation provided the
esigns, erected the equipment In the
hemlcal plants and supervised all the
Their work II also operated the
amp. the town and the plant Other
'ork Is sublet 10 several OF the best
noWn organizations IN the United 4
iates estinghouse Church Kerr
ompany built the plant buildings The
amp, the permanent city and utilities
he j. g. White Engineering Corpora
90 designed and built the nitrate
I'D plant The NJ. W. kellogg Com.
any furnished the piping and bunt
le ehlmneys On February 10. 1918
'ound was broken. and eight months
I'd eight days later the SGO.DO0OOC
uscle Shoals plant began producing
nmonlum nitrate. Ia that brief re
cd 1900 men had completed the
ant and around u. where NOT
'use stood before. had arisen . city
$4,000 lnhabifants.
This plant when 10 fun operation
as ready 10 provide 10 per cent Of al
plosives to be used b. all the allies
all the allied fronts during the sx
cited spring drive 81 1919
e
DAILY SUN WANT ADS PAY.