The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1920-01-14
MUSCLE SHOALS
NATIONS BULW ARK
Big S60,0O0,000 Nitrate Plant
a Defense for Future
Generations.
INSURES NATIONAL DEFENSE
Assurance of Abundant Ameri-
can Explosives a Reason
Why Germany Quit.
INSURES NATIONAL DEFENSE
BY GARRETT SMITH.

One of the chief fortresses of Amer
ica's 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. 1t assures to the United States
for all time an abundance of ammuni-
ton without which an army is help
less encumbrance and it has made
this unlimited supply Of explosives
available without resort to raw ms
terial 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 the
supply Of nitrate of soda, the only
chemical from which nitric acid can
be made. In case this country became
involved in war with any nation that
could control the sea our foe would
have us at her mercy, for she could
cut off our essential means of striking
back.
Other nations, however, were
equally dependent upon the Chilean
nitrate supply. Germany was pur-
chasing One-third of it. She had ex-
nnota6 70 hold tho So, ,,-;+I -, e,,I
marines but failed But a process,
for extracting nitrogen from the air
had been obtained by Germany some
years before from Italian chemists.
This process had been successful in
producing a high grade heterogeneous
fertilizer from which in turn could
be extracted ammonium nitrate Ger
many, therefore, fell to manufacturers
ammonium nitrate from the air on a
large scale.
Americans Buy German Secret.
In 1907 an American company, head.
ed by Frank S. Wasl burn. had secured
the American righ;S to this process
from Germany and lad 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
10 Mr.. Washburn's company for help
The Air NitrateS Corporation was
formed with MIR. Washburn at 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 up the plant buildings, the perma-
Dent city and utilities; the ]. G. White
Corporation, which designed and con
structed the power plant; the Chem
tcal Construction Company, which de
signed and built the nitric acid plant,
and the NJ w. Kellogg Company, which
furnished the piping and built the
chimneys.
Beginning work in November, 1917,
the big plant and new city at Muscle
Shoals was completed within one
years time Had tho expected spring
drive of 1919 materidlized this one
plant alone would have been able to
supply 10 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 ammuni
lion shortage.
When the arrangement was finally
made for building the big air nitrate
plant, work was begun on a power
dam at the same point. This work is
being conducted directly by the Unit
20 States Engineering Corps 1t will
~ot be completed, however. for two or