The Neshoba Democrat. (Philadelphia, Miss.) 1881-current, 1922-01-26

bHiuk clu say Win truth ana
without likelihood of contradiction
that Muscle Shoals is the"damned-
est" dam I'm u. =. A.
And our train carried us across
this dam, stopping for u while on
the little island that lies amid thu
stream, and lifted us higher to the
crest OF the hill ON the other side,
where the perspective OF distance
and the higher elevation gave the
stream and surrounding construct
ion something OF the unreal and in
spirational i did not wonder that
Amercia's Industrial King was
thrilled by the potential possibilities
of such u stream, and that the Wiz
ard OF Orange was painfully moved
to see so many kilawatts wasting
themselves into Oblivion. For Edi-
son aud Ford are both dreamers.
The incaudescent lamp ana ''the In
strument with a soul' were once
but dreams. and Henry's car, with q
kick in it, still keeps some folks
awake at night.
No doubt when Edison and Ford
viewed this gigantic project from
this same precipice a few days before,
they, with deeper perception and
more skillful vision, saw there what
"other eyes have not the power to
see", but /, too, am something of the
dreamer, and | remember that Emer-
son has somewhere written that any
fool can seepainted barns and houses
when they already stand, but that
it takes men with vision to see them
standing where they are not i may
mot oe"one'of tiSose OF yisf1s4 hatsas 4
traced that valley, from this van
ta2e point, with the combined skill
of an Edison and a Ford i'm the back
ground, | saw through my minds
eye an Industrial empire extendin d
up and down the valley.
With water power almost mex
haustible, and Il close proximity to
cotton, lime stone, coal. phosphate,
and other valuable minerals and
raw materials, the possibilities are
almost infinite. The nitrate plants
already completed are a revelation.
The nitrate plant at Sheffield cost
$13, 100000. There is also one at Mus
Gle Shoals almost ais large, as well
as u liquid air plant, and the largest
power house Of it's kind in the world
The power house consumes train
load of one hundred cars of coal a
day, and, think. is $4,000 horse
power. 1t is an auxiliary plant to
be operated only when the water at
the dam is low or in some other
emergency like war. These plants
are housed In buildings 800 and 100
feet long.
Just how nitrogen is extracted
from the airlat these plants Ia lit
tie beyond me. Dir. B, r. Ross, sta te
chemist of Alabama, however. told
me that the process was simple and
tried to explain II so that could
understand.
Limestone mined In Tennessee is
hauled TO the plant, and heated.
The lime obtained is mixed with coke
and heated in electric furnaces, hot
ter than most any place we know OF,
to obtain carbide. The carbide is
then heated in contact with nitro
gen. which is obtained from the. IL
quid air plant. Calcium cyananide
is obtained as a result which Is treat.
ed with steam under pressure OBJ
tanning ammonia. The ammonia
mixed with air, in contact with an
electrically heated platinum gauze,
forms nitric acid, which Il then fur
ther oxidized, The product then
brought in contact with water
forms nitric acid which when brought
In contact with ammonia forms nj
trate. This is purer form OF nitrate
than is mined at Chill, and can be
produced much cheaper Its manu-
facture means cheaper fertilizer to
the farmer.
| have neither the space nor the
time to give my readers the benefit
(if can call 1t that OF my ideas on
what Muscle Shoals means to US. |
shall attempt that la next week q
Neshoba Democrat when | have
had more time for reflection
! give you here the miracle only of
science grabbing out Of the air the