The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-16
By Edward w. Coffin

these streams there are great deposits oil COAL IRON,
MARBLE slate phosphate rock, zinc. copper and lead,
and immense forests of hardwood lumber. The free
navigation of the river is necessary to get the prod
ucts, badly needed by the nation, out into places
where they be used
The situation showed that for about $2ooooooo
the big dam (which would be the second largest in
the world being 4,426 feet long and 100 feet high)
could be completed and about 100000 horsepower. at
a maximum could be generated at the low cost above
mentioned Also the river would be made suitable
for navigation.
Completion Of the Wilson Dam, however, does
not that the project is finished Another dam,
further up the river called No. would have to be
built, to store water for the larger dam below and,
in time some twenty-five dams would have to be
built the smaller tributaries of the Tennessee to
store additional water These smaller dams scat
tered about, in the mountainous sections of North
Carolina and Georgia. They would not have to be
built until the demand for power assumed certain
proportions, necessiating the storage of water near
the sources to insure more even flow at the big
dam downstream ,
But, eventually they would have to go up, and
that is of the reasons for the longtime lease of
100 years which Henp Ford put in his offer to the
War Department. No would wish to take the
risk Of handling the proposition shorter period
of time as the history of water-power development
shows that invariably at the start there is excess
of power and later this excess is absorbed, and
demands for extra power put the generating
stations. All that takes time for the development OF
factories and industries which will seek that section
because OF the cheap power available. 81.
The cost of Dam No. 3, which Ford's offer de-
mands be built by the government, is placed at So
100000. This figure has aroused storm of protest
from various sources, the objection being made that
il is too low. 1t is possible estimate engineering
costs quite closesaas all contractors know, but even
if this 100000 is couple of million shy would It
not be better toospend that much more and get some
thing for the money! go iqot3E
T UST one figure shows the possibilities. In 1919
u the United States paid Chile $ss.ooo.ooo for
nitrates Since 1867 we have paid Chile some $82I,-
$4,000 Our nitrate demands doubling about
every ten years. soil gets weaker and weaker.
We rse about IS pounds per in growing wheat,
and get about fifteen bushels of wheat per Bel
gium uses about 40 pounds to the acre and gets
about forty-hve bushels of wheat. When sod is
less rch fertilizers must make up the deficit If we
wish to cat. Should send our money outside the
country for Chilean feftlizers?
For Nitrate Plant No. 2, which cost under war
time pressure about $6ooooooo and which has steam
power available reserve to aid water power, and
for Nitrate Plant No which cost $I3s64coo or so,
(and which is not being nsed under the present
eess). is proposed by Mr.. Ford to pay the govern
ment $soooooo cash. While this seems like q small
sum, it must be remembered that the Old Hickory