The Raymer enterprise., 1920-01-29
!, MUSCLE SHOALS
= Mu MI AMuumvA
NATIONS BUlWARk
Blo $50, 900 Nitrate Plant
q Defense for Future
Generations.
InsuREs NATIONAL DEFENSE
Asauranoe 81 abundant AmerI-
can Explosives a Reason
Why Germany Quit.
sy oARaEr sMirH.

~ 0AUU&t OMtIn.
One Of the chief fortresses Of Amer
ica's new military defense system
which developed out Of the World
War 10 the Ammonium Nitrate Plant
ct Muscle Shoals, Alabama, on the
Tennessee River. over three hundred
miles from the seacoast, capable Of
turning out 800 tons Of high explosives
4 day. It assures to the United States
for all time an abundance Of ammuni-
ton without which IN army is help
less encumbance 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
ern military explosives In nitric acid.
Before the World War, America was
entirely dependent upon Chle for the
supply Of nitrate Of soda. the only
chemical from which nitric acid can
b. made. In case this scountry became
involved In war with eny nation that
could control the sea your foe would
hare u at her mercy,l for she could
cut OF our essential means Of striking
back.
Other natisns, however, were
equally dependent upon the Chilean
nitrate supply. Germany was pur-
chasing. one-thlrd Of It. She had ex-
pected to hold the sea with, her sub
marines but failed. But al process
for extracting nitrogen from sthe air
had been obtained BY Germany some
years before from Inii1K cnemists.
This process had hen successful In
producing q high grade. nitrogenous
fertilizer from which In turn could
be extracted ammonium nitrate. Ger
many, therefore, fell to manufacturing
ammonium nitrate from the air on q
large scale.
Americans Duy German Secret.
In 1907 IN American company, head
u By Frank s. Washbnrn, had secured
the American rights to this process
from Germany and hs.d 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 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 q. G. White
Corporation. which. designed and con-
structed the power plant , the Chem
ical Construction Company, which de-
signed and built the nitric acid plant
and the N. w. Kellogg Company. (which
furnished the piping and buih the
chimneys.
Beginning work In November, .1017,
the big plant and new city at Muscle
Shoals was completed within one
years time. Had the expected spring
drive Sof 1910 mateifauzed tlns one
plant elone would have been able to
supply Is per cent of all the high
explosives. used by fall the Allied ar
mics on Ill fronts during that drive,
and the United States was secure for
al time to come against an ammunl-
tion shortage.
When the arrangement was finally
made for building the big air nitrate
plant work was begun on a power
dan At the same point. This work Is
being conducted directly .by the Unit
Cd States Engineering Corps. 1t will
not be completed, however, for two or
tAree more years 1t was Necessary,
therefore, In order to insure imme-
date operation when the nitrate plant
was completed to construct $4,000
900 steam powSr plant. one Of the larg.
ct steam plants for the production Of
Continuous electric power In the world.
II II pointed out that even had the
watsr-power plant been'coupleted dur
Ing tAe war It would have been neces-
sary also to have constructed alsteam
plant to insure the nitrate plant wosk-
Ing at full capacity 1t ,aII timesA dur.
Ing the year.
Plant Worth All it,cost.
Now, this entire, Job cost the Govern
msnt 80. 0.0o0 It was lput through
ct time when tlle pricestof materials
and labor were ut ltheir summit. 1t
wes built At record speed, and speed
Costs money. The question naturally
arises, then, a. to whether Uncle Sam
got his moneys worth.
Tests made after tn plant was In
eoeration showed that ammonium ni-