The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-17

i1917 a memorandum for the Secretary of War signed by William Crozier. brigadier general. chief of ordnance. T.. c. S.. copy of which you have al- ready been furnished, bears the fol- lowing postscript in long hand: The President has selected Sheffield. So in formed by Secretary of War, 9-2S. w. C."
 Thus it was indicated that the Presi- dent gave no reasons why he selected Muscle Shoals. It is understood that in further hearings before the com- mittee the reasons will be given The reasons have to do with the possibil- in connection with the cyanamid pro- cess for the production of air nitro gen.
 Major Gaillard cited the following reasons why three Alabama poi its were rejected:
 raphy of site available. large portion of the otherwise usable land being subject to overflow. Tuscaloosa is barely 200 miles from the Gulf coast and has not between it and the coast any mountain ranges of sufficient att tude to be considered a sufficient strategic obstacle Furthermore, from the harbors of Mobile, Pensacola and Tuscaloosa there are several land and water avenues to facilitate greatly the advance of an enemy.
 Birmingham-The immediate neigh borhood of Birmingham is so crowded with industries steel works, etc, that the land is of very high value and the cost of a tract of the size re- quired would be prohibitive. Further more. the water supply is subject to such large demands that location close to the city is inadvisable. One site about four miles out of the city proper hoe h the name of North Birmingham as one of the nine promising sites which have been rated in detail
 Cordova-Tract subject to overflow. Too small area and other objections.
 Sheffield. which subsequently, won the prize, was not judged in any re- spect worthy of comparison with Chat tanooga. Under Figures of Merit.' the following table was given the com mittee:
 For fertilizer. Chattanoga 9s.7, Sheffield S9 for munitions, Chatta- nooga s9, Sheffield S5; general, Chat tanooga 91.35; Sheffield ST."
 The report contains the following explation as to why Muscle Shoals was not rated higher in the estimation of Colonel Joyes:
 '"The vicinity of Muscle Shoals on the Tennessee river has been so widely advertised and so strongly advocated
 
 south, and by a number of members of Congress and other prominent men as the location at which even this ini- tial plant would be of the greatest value by the reduction of fertilizer prices that surprise may be felt that Sheffield, Ala Cat the Muscle Shoals) is rated no higher than second, from the fertilizer standpoint
 ''rhe argument for location here in view of possible future developments of the waterpower at the Shoals is thought to be really an argument against the location of this plant at this site, for the process to be used required no large amount of power put does need steam, as such, in the pro- cess, and if later plants should use a process requiring much power, such a plant would gain rather than lose by separate location, as this would spread the advantages more uniformly over different sections of the coun- try.
 Proximity of the phosphate rock mines of central Tennessee appears at first sight to be conducive to saving of freight and, therefore cheaper fer tilizer, as, if the nitrogenous ma terials be produced near the rock 1t would seem that there should be less hauling of bulky materials, but the calculation of phosphate rock at Shef- field or elsewhere near the mines would necessitate unduly long and ex- pensive haul of sulphuric acid frcm the acid plants now maintained by fertilizer factories at widely separated points or the discarding of such plants and erection of new; also, as one ton of phosphate rock produces 16 units of phosphoric acid, the effect of the Sheffield Chattanooga freight differ ential of $1.30 Git will probably be less) per ton of rock would be to in- crease the cost of a standard mixed fertilizer (S-3-S) by only 65 cents; while on the other hand, the freight differential of $120 per ton on fertll- izer in favor of Chattanooga or Knox vile as against Sheffield Con ship ments to Columbia, S. C., fairly rep resentative point) is direct increase in the final price nearly double the saving due to shorter haul of the crude rock"