The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-27
BOTH EDISON AND FORD FORECAST POSSIBILITIES Stirred To Rapture By
 Prospect Upon Re
 cent Visit
 DEVELOPMENT PLAN ON ENORMOUS SCALE Saliba Outlines Results To Come From Automobile Wizards Project
Rx RAIPH sALTRA

TN TOMAS JEFFERSON wrote the
 Declaration of Independence and
 founded a great nation on the west ern hemisphere. Homer sang the praises of the Greek heroes and Greece became the flower of civilization. Thomas A. Edison proclaimed the possibilities of became the granary of the south. Henry Ford offered to lease the government project at Muscle Shoals at time when it was destined to be junked and saved millions of dollars to the Ameri- can people. Civilization has always re- sponded to the inspiring touch of lofty natures and has given those who have led us up the mountain peaks of pro gress prominent place on the pages of history. The hand of destiny is even sitting the human race for genius who can inspire us with ideas that will travel like light and shape the rising glory of our country.
 The pages of history, Whether an cient, -mediaeyal or modern, are dotted with huge structures and inn naense developments which have been either conceived for glory or erected to the goddess of industry and dedicated to scientific research and developments
 The Sphinx of the desert, conceived and erected by the Egyptians, as a monument to the personal vanity of their ancient kings have stood for forty centuries as personal pride of their leaders. The Assuan Dam on the lower Nile, conceived and constructed by the British government, did not only make tremendous difference on an entire section, but it's completion caused the immediate development of 300,O0O acres of land that was absolutely worthless.
 Wilson Dam Above All
 These and others thatI can mention, and which I have seen with my own eyes are the products of master minds, but above them all, upon an everIast- ing throne, I place the Wilson Dam of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which is not only being erected to the personal pride and monumental vanity of our leader, Woodrow Wilson, but it's construction adjoining the huge nitrate plants in the heart of natural resources will af- ford us a combination of safety during war and prosperity in peace time. aThe completed Muscle Shoals will be worth more than all the gold currency in the world" said Thomas Edison. "I will employ one million men at Muscle Shoals. will build city gSpenty-fiye miles long at Muscle Shoals" said Henry Ford.
 What is there at Muscle Shoals that excites the wonder and admiration of the worlds greatest electrical en- xineer? What ib it that attracted the attention of the worlds greatest finan- cier and auto king to say that he will sSnen the eyes of the world" if his of- fer is accepted? What did Mir. Ford aitd Edison see at Muscle Shoals that made them exclaim: '.The greatest pos abilities of the entire world are here." They saw first, the possibilities for an unlimited supply of cheap hydro-elec- tzleal power.
 They saw Wilson Dam No. Pa dam E.OOO feet long, 101 feet wide at foun- ture nearly 125 fleet above the river bed---a giant dam whose generating ca pacity will be over 100000 horse power.
 They saw IS miles further up the river, another great dam, a duplicate oR Dam No. 2, which, when completed, VIII generate about 100000 horse power. This energy harnessed from the rivers flow and pressure will be sup plemented by the 10000 horsepower steam plant built by the government thst stands on the banks of the river and the reservation of Nitarate Plant No. g.
 MT. Edison and MT, Ford saw ut l Muscle Shoals what no ether man has ever seen in any other spot on the globe. They saw over million horsepow- hr of electrical energy.
 They saw Nitrate Plant No. 2, near the Wilson Dam, a project covering two I thousand and two hundred acres of land vfffh two thousand, four hundred and i twenty-eight structures, of which seven ] fyythree buildings compose the manufac- turing plants, which are maintained to ] operate within thirty days notice. They saw forty miles of railroad tracks, 21 miles of paved streets, 166 miles of sewer and water pipes. sew I aRe disposal plant and water filtration 1 pfant inside plant reservation. They saw an investment of over one hundred million dollars in factories and maehinery that will afford steady em- pI0yment for thousands of skilled, highly paid workmen.
 They saw Nitrate Plant No. 1, which was constructed at 8 total cost of ! thirteen million dollars, and which has \ capacity of producing 22,OOO tons of ammonia nitrates a year. x They saw transportation facilities by rail on the main line of the Southern railway, the Louisville and Nashville and the Northern Alabama; by water
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