The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-02-24

Especial Correspondent


Washington, Feb. "a. R)--Thc big
Wilson dam--or, in construction gang
parlancc, Dam No. 2---is the backbone
and vitals Of the whole Muscle
Shoals project There are other i'm
posing features however
There are two big plants, fully
equipped for making nitrogen out of
thin air. The largest can supply ex-
plosives for an army Of Il million and
Il quarter men, and it embraces one
of the largest steam power units in
the world.
There is 4 great rock quarry to
furnish raw material for the nitro
gen fixation process, and there are
ready made industrial villages, in
GLIDING not only workers homes. but
schools, hotels and hospital.
On hlueprints there are also two
other big dams, which form import
ant parts Of the navigation improve
mcnt and power conservation scheme.
Worlds Largest Dam
To inspect Muscle Shoals intclli-
gently, however, begin ut the Wilson
dam. With the powcrhousc ut it's
south end, it forms a barrier 1900
feet long across the Tennessee river
at Florence. Ala, and is the largest
dam in the world. Others are long
or, or higher, but for bulk over all
II is supreme.
II is lao feet high from founda-
tions to the floor Of the bridge which
runs along it's top. and it is l0o feet
thick at the bottom where it Is key
cd into the stone riverbed. You can
take it's masonry and lay a pavement
~ inches wide and an inch and q half
thick around the earth ut the equator
At the north end of the dam are
two locks. one after the other. Each
lock chamber is 800 feet long and
60 wide, and each has lift capacity
of 4Gh feet
In the powerhousc are TO be Il to-
tai Of IL turbine generators. At
present four generators of 30 1000
horsepower have been completed and
set to work Four others Of 35 900
horsepower will be ready to go in u
couple of months. Ten others, which
are to bring the total capacity up to
600 900 horsepower are for future in
stallation.
The cost Of dam. locks and power
plant IS figured approximately at
$5O, 100000.
War Launched Work
Back Of the Muscle Shoals de-
velopment is the feverish motive Of
wartime necessity. The United
States needed nitrogen to make ami
munition and the only supply was in
Chile, far away and unit rtain. Chem
lists said they could reverse the
process of an exploding shell. In
stead of'releasing the force of nitro
gen suddenly, with a bang, they
would rccapture it from the atmos-
phere to be loaded into a gun.
Nitrate Plant No. at Muscle
Shoals was built largely as an ex-
pertinent to try out the so-called
Haber process. Germany was using
secret variation Of this method for
the production Of most Of her nj
trates. The United States plant
turned out its first nitrate Nov. II,
the day after the signing Of the ar
mistice. The plant cost $l2,8S7 900
has been idle since January, 1919
Nitrate Plant No. was built on q
larger scale, to use the better estab-
lished cyanide process. To operate
this plant until the dam should pro-
duce hydro-electric power, great
steam plant was built. This nitrate
plant was finished just before the
armlstice. 1t has capacity Of no.
600 tons of ammunition nitrate a
year, and although not now consid-
cred to employ the best process, it is