Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-06-12

Hilary apparatus sections and shore section.
ultimate installation calls for eighteen main
power units four of which are 10000 horsepower
each, and fourteen of $4,000 horsepower eacn.
-Four of the latter fourteen and the four 3O,UOO
horsepower units being installed at the present
time, making an initial installation OF 26O,OUO
horsepower. Each power unit consists OF water
turbine of the Francis type, in vertical setting
with electrical generator above on the same smart
The four 10000 horsepower turbines were man.
ufactured by the William Cramp Sons Ship
Engine Building company, and the generators for
same were made by the Westinghouse Electric K
Manufac curing company.
Five thousand men are employed on the con-
struction of this project. They work in three
shifts each shift working eight hours. This con-
struction camp is in reality fair-sized town. The
main concrete mixing plant is located on an island
In the middle of the river. From here the con-
crete is hauled in large buckets on railroad cars
to any part of the job where it may be needed
Railroad tracks serve every available part of the
work In all more than twenty miles of track have
been laid for construction purposes A co1struc
ton bridge carrying railroad tracks as well as
tracks for huge travelling derricks had to be con-
structed In order to build the formwork for the
concrete lumber yard, sawmill and layout plat
form had to be erected. The lumber used the
job will run to millions of feet board measure.
The manufacture of destructive explosives from
nitrates taken from the air is a fascinating sub
ject especially in connection with the fact that the
nitrates can easily be turned into harmless
and beneicent fertilizer. AS it stands today, Nj
trate Plant No. 2 can fix from the atmosphere the
nitrates required for the continuous supply of am
muntion for an army Of 1,25OOO0 men. In war
time the cost of ammunition is not an essential fea-
ture. s.tf
But can fertilizer be manufactured at Muscle
Shoals at peace-time prices? This seems to be an
unsettled question Maj. j. X Grain, ordnance
A saws IN hiC Tuu0 h-ypv cd
question in connection with the Muscle Shoals
project
There is some doubt hat fertilizer be pro-
duced by the process for which Muscle Shoals prop
critics equipped at price low enough to
compete with the products from other sources
However, this subject is engaging the attention OF
Promising results have been attained at the fixed
nitrogen laboratory in Washington, d. c. which
laboratory established by the War department,
but turned to the control Of the Department
of Agriculture in 1921 The doubtful outcome Of
experiments in this field has caused the War de-
partment to oppose REIMBURSEMENT of the title to
these properties without adequate guarantees that
government in effective condition to be utilized
in the manufacture Of explosives, should they
to the control of persons who did not continue their
use Of the manufacture of fertilizers.
Taking Nitrogen From Air.
'@The raw materials employed in the manufactur-
ing process nitrogen, obtained from the air.
limestone, and coal, which is used in the form
Of coke" says Major Grain. 'sThe first step is
to burn the limestone to lime which is oxide of
calcium (CaO). This is then mixed with coke
(carbon) and the mixture is heated to very high
temperature in electric furnaces. The product thus
formed is a combination of calcium and carbon
the familiar calcium carbide (CaC-2) which gen.
crates acetylene when placed in water. The
bide is run out of the furnaces in a liquid state,
and after cooling and solidifying is ground to
fine powder
"The next step is to add nitrogen to the carbide.
For this purpose practically pure nitrogen is need
ed. There are several different methods of sep
arating nitrogen from the oxygen of the air. but the
one used at Muscle Shoals because of it's simplicity
and cheapness, is first to liquify air and then to
separate the two gases by taking advantage of the
fact that the boiling points of the two liquid
are slightly different. Oxygen boils at 1925
degrees Centigrade and nitrogen at 1855 de-
gress Centigrade.) The process is very similar to
that used in separating mixtures of alcohol and
water.
'The actual fxation Of the nitrogen is now ac-
complished by passing it over the finely ground
carbide heated to a temperature of about 1000
degrees Fahrenheit. reaction takes place under
these conditions and complex compound OF cal
cium, carbon, and nitrogen called cyanamide
(CaCN-2) is the result.
serhe next step in the production of both ex-
plosives and fertilizer is to heat the cyanamide in
large steel tanks with steam and water, which re-
suits in the formation of ordinary ammonia.
ammonia can be readily changed into nitric
acid (INO-3), and from this acid any desired M
tropen compound for either agricultural MILL
tary purposes can be made. For fertilizers, am
monium phosphate and ammonium sulphate are the
nreferred forms; while for explosives, there Is a
host of nitrogen products dynamite, T. N. T., and
many Others.