The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-01-02
MUSCLE SHOALS
NATIONS lJLWARK
Big $60.000,000 Nitrate Plant
a Defense for Future
Generations.
lhSURES NATIONAL DEFENSE
Assurance of Abundant Ameri-
can Explosives a Reason
Why Germany Quit.
lNSURES NATIONAL DEFENSE
BY GARRET Smith.

which developed out of the World
War is the Ammonium Nitrate Plant
at Muscle Shoals, Alabama, on the
Tennessee River, ever three hundred
miles from the seacoast capable OF
turning out 800 tons of high explosives
a day. 1t assures to the United States
for all time an abundance of ammuni-
ton without which an army is a help
less encumbrance and it has made
this unlimited supply OF explosives
available without resort to raw ma
terial from outside Of the country.
] The essential Ingredient of all mod
err military explosives in nitric acid.
Before the World War, America was
entirely dependent upon Chile for the
supply of nitrate OF soda, the only
chemical from which nitric acid can
be made. In case this country became
tnvQived In war with any nation that
Could control the sea our foe would
have rs at Aer mercy, for she could
cBt off 0E essential means of stIlsiAg
| back.
Other nations, however, were
equally dependent upon the Chaeaa
nitrate supply. Germany was pur-
chasing one-third OF It. She had ex-
pectes to hold the sea with her SUB
marines but failed. But a process
for extracting nitrogen from the air
had been obtained by Germany SOME
years before froR Italian chemists.
This process had been successful In
producing a high grade nitrogensas
ifertiAzer from which In turn could
be extracted ammonium nitrate. Ger.
many. therefore, fell to manufacturing
ammeniun nitrate from the mr on q
large scale.
Americans Buy German Secre9.
In 1907 an American company, head
ed by Frank S. Washburn, had secured
the American rights to this process
from Germany and had gone into man.
nfacturing the fertilizer on the Cana
dian side OF the Niagara Fails. 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 at its
head, to build the Muscle Shoals plant.
It was assisted by several other well
known corporations, such as the West
inghouse Church Kerr Company. which
put up the plant buildings, the perma-
Dent city and utilities; the J. G. 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 buih the
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 to
supply Is per cent. OF all the high
explosives used by all the Allied ar
mics on all fronts during that drive
and the United States was secure for
all time to come against an anmuni-
! lion shortage.
When the arrangement was finally
made for building the big air nArate
plant, work was begun on q power
/ lam at the same point. This work is
1eing conducted directly by the Unit
I'd States Engineering Corps. II will
not be completed, however, for two or
three more years. 1t was necessary.
therefore, In order to insure imne-
1iate operation when the nitrate plant
was completed to construct $4,000
NO steam power plant, one OF the larg-
! est steam plants for the production of
! continuous electric power in the world.
1T is pointed out that even had Tie
water power plant been completed dur
ing the war 1t would have been neces-
! sary also to have constructed a steam
plant to insure the nitrate plant work
ing at full capacity at all times dur
ug the year.
Plant Worth All Il Cost.
Now, this entire job cost the Govern.
IGlent S60,O00O00. 1t was put through
at time when the prices of materials
and labor Were at their summit. 1t
was built at record speed, and speed