Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-09
Prediction of
Westinghouse
Is Justified
Nitrogen Plant, Receiving
Power From iagara Falls,
Established at Syracuse,
$50 Miles Distant.
BY HOLLAND.

When the Niagara Falls hydro
electric power plant was in cours'
Of construction, George Westing
house invited to inspect it eonsid
cradle company of men, some o
whom were of high professional at
tainments and other who had aide,
in. financing the proposition. TIL,
governor of New York state though
the enterprise of sufficient impor.
tance for him TO accept Mr.. Westing-
houses invitation.
At that time Mr.. Westinghouse
said that when this plan is COM
pleted, large industries will be estab,
lished at Niagara Falls and in ad-
dition to that the electric energy
which will be generated there will be
sufficient for lighting, heating and
power purposes for the city of Buff
falo, This energy will also be util-
ized by and by, he said, for in
dustrial purposes in all western and
central New York. He thought il
likely that perhaps the greatest in
dustry which made use of hydro
electric energy would in time be es-
tablished, as far east as Syracuse.
Prediction Justified.
On August 1. this prediction made by
Mr.. Westinghouse, is to be justified.
More than 20 years after he made it. a
great plant for the manufacture Of
nitrogen taken from the atmosphere will
be In operation at Syracuse. This plant
will be able to produce each day 20,eee
pounds OF anhydrous ammonia. 1t will
produce nitrogen captured by q new proc
ess from the atmosphere and will also
produce commercial hydrogen extracted
from water gas.
Notwithstanding business depression. the
construction of this great plant has been
continued until now the first unit is to
be put into operation early in August.
Some OF the strongest corporations asso-
eiated with the production OF chemical
commodities are interested In this un-
dertakng, Already 100000 have been
invested In the construction Of the first
unit. II Is in contemplation. however. to
making 10 in all. Probably the cost of
other plants will be less than that en-
tailed by building the first unit, but in
any event a good many millions will ul-
timately be Invested in this undertaking.
Nature Of Process.
American inventors and men of science
are understood TO have worked out a new
atmosphere. At one time the presump-
tion was strong that we would be COM
PEELED In the United States TO adopt the
processes which ara made use of In Nor
way whereby nitrogen Is secured from the
atmosphere. These processes were of i'm
portant avail to Germany when the Eu-
ropean war was in progress. In fact had
Germany been unable to secure nitrogen
by making use Of the Norway process and
presumably by securing some nitrogen
from Norway II would have been impossi-
Bile for II to have eai ried on the war.
Tie new process, the details OF which
mt fuiiy known. will N In understood
make II possible to take nitrogen out of
the atmosphere and convert 1t to COM
mereiai use at much less cost than the
Norway process. Yet the Norway process
was first suggested by the results OBJ
tanned by an American who utilized hy-
dro-electrtc energy in such manner as to
extract nitrogen from the atmosphere.
This inventor. however. was unable to
secure financial aid. The bankers and
men Of finance turned their backs upon
hss appeal for assistance. There hap
small group of men of science who were |
Norwegians. They were much impressed |
by this American discovery and received |
permission TO experiment with Il in Nor 4
way The water power in Norway is |
abundant. 1t was utilized to create elee. |
tric energy and in this way the Nor |
wesians secured to commercial advantage
atmospheric nitrogen.
Different Process.
Now the establishment Of this new and |
large plant at Syracuse appears to have
ptcs pdstu upon utsNOferles anu lHscue 4
tions made by Americans which differ !
from the Norwegian process. The indus
try will. when It Is completed. be recog- |
nized as the largest single user Of the |
electric current in western and central |
New York. This current will be delivered |
from Niagara Falls. which is l5o miles |
distant. |
Soon affsr the Niagara Falls plant was |
completed Ir. westinghouse prediction |
that large industries would be speedily /
established there was found to be correct. |
The discovery made by Hall OF . process |
for manufacturing aluminium by artificial |
means and by tho utilization OF hydro l
electric energy was almost ecencsdent IN /
point Of time with the completion Of the /
Niagara Falls plant Therefore, the alu-
nninunl industry WAS established at
Niagara and It has become one Of the |
great American industries
A little while after this aluminium plant
was established ana put in operation DR..
e. G. Aeheson. who had discovered car
Pittsburgh, decided that It would be nec-
esssry to secure a much larger amount /
Of electric energy than he could obtain
At Pittsburgh. He therefore established
q plant at Niagara Fails. but when he |
asked for the delivery Of the equivalent 4
OF a thousand horse power in electric en- /
ergy to his plant. he met with some hesi-
tat,on, there being doubt as whether SO
large an amount in single unit could /
be furnished by the company. 1t was, 1
however furnished and out of that grew /
one of the greatest American Industries.
with ii is associated Mr.. Mellon, now sec
retary of the treasury, who greatly aid
ed in financing and building up this in-