Evening star., 1925-08-02

~ OMPLETION of the second
greatest engineering project
ever undertaken by Uncle
Sam Is at hand. Some time
this month the current Of the
Tennessee River Will be allowed TO
surge against the waterwheels Of the
gigantic turbines In the powerhouse
of the Wilson Dam. In the monster
generators above there will leap into
being power Of a potential intensity
uneQualed anywhere else on earth.
Muscle Shoals will be starting to add
its important contribution to the Ma
tion's energy. The Government,
through the beginning Of official tests,
will know just what II possesses for
an outlay already exceeding $4,000
900 for dam and powerhouse alone.
Masonry of the lock, dam, power
and switch houses has been COM
pleted. The main spillway gates on
the dam have been installed. The lock
gates are under contract. -Four main
units, each consisting OF a 10000
horsepower water wheel and a 20 900
K. V. A. generator. have been put in
place. Installation of four additional
units each consisting of 10000.
horsepower water wheel and $4,000
K. v. A. generator. is under way.
The plans call for an ultimate bat
total SOC, 900 horsepower of machinery
has been installed and Is utilizing the
natural unregulated flow of the Ten
nessee River. these units will produce
on the average more than 700, ,0oo.o 900
kilowatt hours OF power annually. IL
used for ordinary commercial pur-
poses, this power would effect an an
nual saving of $4,000 tons of coal
500 miles of loaded coal
Beginning this month the units al
ready completed one by one VIII be
tested under the scrutiny of the de.
signers and officers of the Corps Of
Engineers, United States Army, under
which the vast construction covering
seven years has proceeded. So exhaus-
tive will be the tests that II VIII be
months before the last of the origi-
nal octet of power units will have
passed muster.
Electric power will be generated on a
huge scale every day the tests are
power is a problem, surely; for because
of the uncertainty as to ultimate dis
position of the plant by Congress. the
Government is unable to enter into
contracts with prospective power
users or lessons. Thus far Congress
is much at sea as to the little de-
tail of what should be done with this
world When 1t will decide cannot even
be guessed, although it authorized the
appointment by President Coolidge
last March Of a commission of five to
investigate and report to him the most
practicable method of utilizing to best
advantage the various elements OF the
Muscle Shoals development.
Y
IN the meantime. to avoid utter
waste Of the vast and valuable power
soon to be created, the best the Govern
ment can do Is to dispose OF 1t to any
one willing to take 1t under conditions
of the utmost uncertainty-by the
pail, as it were. Accordingly, Maj.
Gen. Harry Taylor. chief Of Engineers.
has invited the following persons and
firms to consider purchase OF the pow.
er on such a basis: Henry Ford. the
Union Carbide Co., New York; the
Pennsylvania Railroad, the Memphis
Power and Light Co.; the Southern
Power Co., the Georgia Railway and
Power Co., the Electric Bond and
Share Co., New York; the American
Cynamid Co.. New York; the Tennes-
see Electric Power Co.; the Arkansas
Light and Power Co, and the Alabama
Power Co.
The conditions of sale will include
the statement that the Government
cannot undertake to supply stated
amount of power for any definite
period" that power will be available
only during the tests and tuning up
of equipment, and that the test gen.
Grafton of power would be Commenced
or discontinued whenever the officers
in charge of the plant consider it to
the best interests of the Government
to do So" Gen. Taylor stated that in
addition to the firms directly COM
municated with. he would be glad
to hear from any one else who might
be interested" The only power-user
answering that it was in a position to
take advantage of the offer is the Ala
bama Power Co.
The completion of the Wilson Dam,
grandly impressive memorial to the
war President, marks the end of years
of construction, exceeded in magni-
tude only by that required by the
building of the Panama Canal. At
times 4,600 men have been employed
in the construction. The dam, the
largest on earth. not excepting the
great Assoman Dam on the Nile, Is
one mile long, 1877 feet high and 1o5
feet thick at the base. Its construc.
tion required $4,000, 900 cubic feet of
maEonry, covering not less than 20