New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-06-06
WHY St.I.I. MUSCLE
GuIn 90

Why not sell Muscle Shoals?" Is
the two-column heading of an article
In tho Waterbury American credited
to one Edwin c. Holden. who wrote
1t for the baltimore Evening Fun.
Holden calls it Technical and eco
nomic failure" especially the huge
nitrate plant. The No. ! or Wilson
dam has a primary power of only
100000 horsepower, he says; when
Ne. : dam and auxiliary steam plants
are built the ultimate power capacity
will be about $4,000 horsepower.
Comparing this with Niagara Falls
Holden finds that the power gener-
ated there IL about IL times the
primary power at Muscle Shoals
whether with only No. 2 dam or
No. 2 and ! IL not stately, and the
electric power output in all of the
larger cities Ia much greater In
1927 Muscle Shoals according to
Holden. ranked 3Sth In output
among the power systems of the
country.
Therefore Holden. reflecting the
power mind. Is in favor of selling the
plant to the highest bidder
whether there would DO any bidding
very high Is not stated.
Compared with this one finds a
letter In the New York Herald
Tribune written by A. Graham
Appleton, Of Mt. Vernon. N. Y, who
returned from Muscle Shoals, where
he made thorough investigation Of
the power and nitrate plant. The
tone of his letter. and the figures ne
quotes, do not agree with those of
the Baltimore writer. Says Appleton:
. hN'O JN0A w
this city from an inspection of the
governments plant at Muscle Shoals
the Wilson Dam, and the nitrate
plants Nos. hand 2. As a layman, hut
under the expert guidace Of Captain
Morrill,. army engineer In charge.
made such an examination of the
plant as convinced me beyond any
doubt whatever that no part Of the
plant ID obsolete and no part needs
to be salvaged.
The Wilson Dam. now completed,
10 ready 10 furnish 100000 horse
power, with maximum Of 62A. 900
horsepower available almost imme-
diately. This means hydro-electric
power far cheaper than steam.
Nitrate plant No. 2. the largest in
the world. has ia permanent build
inEs. with = steam plant that con-
tains the largest turbine ever built.
This has q generating capacity Of
10000 horsepower to be added.
the need arise. to the power
from Wilson Dam.
''As 1t now stands, No. 2 can pro-
duce 10000 tons OF purs nitrogen Z
year. This IL equal to z<O.0 tons Of
Chilean nitrate, which contains only
Is per cent Of pure nitrogen. This
product Of No. ! can furnish $780,
900 tons OF s-3-3 fertiliIer. enough
to supply 100000 acres with 800
pounds to the acre.
Senator I.add has described the
No. plant az the greatest calcium
carbide plant In the world. The pro-
ducts OF calcium carbide alone rival
those of coal tar.
The method Of fixation Of nitro.
gen from the air. for which No. 2
10 adapted. Is the most modern
known to science. The equipment for
liquor air compression. the electric
carbide furna ce~ and the steel tanks
for turning cyanamid into ammonia,
convertible into nitrate acid. IL the
most modern in existence and 10 In
first class condition.
"As \ war proposition the capacity
of No. , 10 $50 tons Of ammonia q
day. which would result In . sup
ply OF ammunition for an army Of
1.250.O00.
Nitrate plant No. I. with a small
er output. II equally well equipped,
Under army supervision and at an