New-York tribune., 1921-12-18

dustry and invention as
Henry Ford and Thomas A. Edison, has
value as great as that of the glisten-
ing yellow metal upon which the none
tary system Of the world is based?
What IS there about it that makes
il Of such tremendous worth to the
nation, or that causes Mr.. Ford to see
through its completion a vision of
South reborn, regenerated and made
into the industrial center of the ma
ton?
These questions may well be asked
by the lay reader, who in the hurry
and hustle of war time, the reports of
actions in France and casualty lists
gave little heed to another phase of
the activity of his government on the
Tennessee River near Florence, Ala.
The answer is: Water power and
nitrogen.
The Muscle Shoals plants were to
furnish both, in almost unlimited
quantities. For the water power two
dams, the Wilson Dam and Dam No. 2,
we're planned by government engineers.
These would turn the harnessed waters
of the Tennessee River through the
giant turbines, and more than mil
lion horsepower of electric energy
would be produced
The government then constructed
rlant where this tremendous current
would be cracked through the air, to
break down the nitrogen which is al
ways in it and force it into a combi-
ration where it could be made service
able.
This nitrogen would be made into
mtrates, or, in other words, nitro
-lycerine. dynamite, guncotton, high ex-
plosive shells or fertilizer 1t would
iree America from the necessity of
hearing nitrates from Chile in order
to fight the war or till the farms pro-
cuctively. We would have our own re-
sources. All we would need to do
would be to reach into the air and
grasp them.
Preliminary Survey of
River Made Years Ago
Preliminary surveys of the Tennes-
sec River had been made many years
ago. The river had shifting,
changeable bed, and to make it navi-
sibe a long system of locks and dams
had been projected begun, dropped,
resumed, and SO on and SO forth for
Congress after Congress. However, as
rpSuIf of tbnSo no
gineers had in their files figures show
ing the remarkable drop of the Ten
nessee River in the section near the
ri-cities---Florence, Sheffield and Tus-
cumbia Ala
They knew, for instance, that in a
distance Of seventeen miles the river
level dropped 133 feet! When it is
realized that it is by the dropping of
the water ON the turbine wheels that
the latter turn over, and that the
higher the drop the stronger spin given
them. the answer is obvious-there was
at Muscle Shoals an untapped reserve
OF electric power mounting to more
than million horsepower.
AS far back as 1920 work was begun
on Muscle Shoals. It was but few years
later that official decision was given
to one of the most important contro-
sersies that ever ragged over it - the
spelling of the name. The early Con-
crosses had to appropriate funds for
the canal passing the shoals. The local
name was Muscle Shoals, after the
olyalve which was found on them.
In the early days the niceties and
Fefnements of spelling were not as
commonly practiced in the Southland
IN Congress-as perhaps they are to-
day. The bivalve was called muscle"
and not mussel, which is the correct
dictionary lettering to-day. However,
IN those days Congress passed appro
pfiation bill after appropriation bill for
Muscle" Shoals, and thus officially and
hnaly fixed the proper spelling of the
word. The Librarian of Congress a few
years ago made research into the rec
ords to determine the proper spelling
and found abundant documentary evil
aence to make him pronounce Muscle"
official.
The project Jagged for seventy years,
until finally in 1890, by the joint effort
% the State of Alabama and the United
o'ases government, the Muscle Shoals
eahai was partially completed and
vas opened for navigation. 1t was
sSIerway sixteen miles long and had
e'eVen locks. But it was so compli-
sa'ed that it did not give the aid to
navigation which had been hoped. AS
sae result of this obstacle to naviga-
aon the Tennessee River, which carried
volume of water, in it's lower stages.
+aay equal to that of the Ohio, sup
svi'ed a river traffic about one-twen-
Aesn that of the latter stream.
nam Recommended in 1910
% Remedy Conditions
1910 government engineers made
0'nsr survey and recommended to
stess that the situation be
ssmedied by building dam, both for
psseF ard for navigation betterment.
ar years later an appropriation was
1s Tor diamond drill borings, which
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