Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-12-13
MUSCLE SHOALS PROPERTY
Full Explanation Of Henry ford's
WOULD DEVELOP UNLIMITED IEDuslaT
Most Wonderful Water Power in The
south--FuIi Utilization Would Have
Tremendous Bearing on AHteof
Annarica .tII ~ e..4.lrl/

South--FuIi Utilization Would Have
Tremendous Bearing on Al Hfeof
America. ~ - ~
Florence, Ala, Dec. 7--Henry Ford's
bid for Muscle Shoals, submitted July
s, 1921, the first bid for the properties,
contained three principle features:
Outright purchase OF nitrate plants
Nos. and for $5.0o0,o0o.
Payment Of approximately $780,
600 annual rental" as interest on cap
ital invested for waterpower rightsE
Reimbursement of s4o.ooo,ooo spent
by the government on Wilson Dan1h
Reimbursement Of 100000 to be
spent by the government in building
and equipping Dam No. 8.
Outright expenditure of $4,000, 600 z
by the, government in erection, OF three
locks in connection with these two
dams.
Muscle Shoals begin at Florence and
extend eastward up the Tennessee river
thirty miles, having fall In that dis
tance of 1s0 feet. Navigation around
the shoals has been provided by means
of the Muscle Shoals Canal, water
wey sixteen miles long and containing
eleven locks, This canal was begun
about 1920 and by intermittent efbrt
was partly completed in 1890 when 1T
wes opened for navigation. Both the
state Of Alabama and the Federal gov
ernment participated in this work.
In 1910 government engineers rec
commended that navigation and; power
should be jointly developed at Muscle
Shoals and in 1914 an appropriation
was made for diamond drill borings
which proved the sufficiency OF the
foundation for proposed dams. Asur-
yey was made of lands that would be
inundated and options were taken by
citizens Of Sheffield and Florence in
the name " the government. III,
When the war began. the govern
ment, seeking site for great nitrate
plant, turned to Muscle Shoals and
the erection Of nitrate plant No. 2
was started January s. 1918. 1t began
operation October 25 Of the same year
ana before the armistice was signed
several thousand tons OF ammonium
nitrate was turned tout operatioRs
were suspended after the gafmistaces
but work was begun on WILSON, Dam
and this work continued until May A.:
1sai,s when the; appropriatt ion Was ,exx
hausted. The dam then was esaid TO
be about so per cent. complete.
!, Three great concrete mixing plants
one of them said to be the largest IN
the world, were constructed and opeg-
atcd for the building Of the wilson
Dam. Quarries were opened; resfden-
ces for employees were built With Of
flee buildings, schools. assembly nails
and complete sewerage, lighting and
water systems A feet OF barges ana
dredges were provided to bring sand
and gravel from the river channel oe-
low the dam. Wharf and unloading
facilities were constructed. with {. line
of railroad three miles long extends
ing from the wharf to the dam Site
All Of this equipment was putt IN
'stand-by condition May !, 1920 on
one siding As locomotives now stand
covered with grease paint.
wilson Dam, completed. would be-
the largest in volume Of material used
of any single construction projected IN
the United States, army engineers
say. From river bed to top driveway
over the dam, the height would be
1873 feet. The available powefhead OF
water impounded above the dam wouit
be s5 feet. The length Of the dam
would be 1900 feet. 8s
The original plans for the work Icail-
ed for the installation Of turbines and
electric generators capable OF produc-
ing 100000 electrical horsepower, more
than is now represented In the COM
bihed hydro-electric Developments IN
the states of Alabama, Georgia, south
Carolina, North Carolina and Tennes-
see, according to army engineers.
Dam No. 8, proposed in Mr.. Ford's
bid would be one mile and a. quarter
In length, fifty feet high, and would
have an available waterpower head OF
AZ feet. There would be installed, un-
der the Ford plan. turbines, electric
and electric generators in this dam
capable of developing more than Sse,-
600 electric horsepower. This dan1
would be II miles above Wilson dam
ard navigation through the two dams
would be effected by means OF 3~o.
locks in Wilson dam and one lock In
Dam No 3.
Negotiations between the govern
ment and Mr.. Ford have been in pros
gress for several months. His recent
trip with Thomas A. Edison to Muscle
Shoals was for the purpose Of making
a re-survey Of the property at the
suggestion of government officials
with a view of clarifying and reconcil-
ing, il .,ossible, differences In Mr..
Fords estimates and those Of army
engineers concerning completion OF
the work. The greatest complication
is understood to have been the differ
ence in estimates of the cost OF COM
pleting Wilson Dam and the construc-