Evening star., 1933-05-21
CONTINUED From First Page.)

(ContmueQ from rlrSt FASe.D
rates or other products needed for mu-
nitions of war and useful in the manu-
facture of fertilizers and other useful
products"
There was, however, a considerable
period Of CESSATION before the project
actually took on tangible form. That
did not occur until February. 1918. The
Muscle Shoals q big place in the story
of engineering achievement with official
authorization for construction of the
largest dam ever erected. Never before
had man built on such a mighty scale
in order to make use of the waters sf
the earth. with the one exception Of the
Panama Canal.
Pace Fast In Those Days.
When President Wilson signed the
authorization for the huge structure II
was with no idea that 1t was to become
mammoth memorial to himself. The
prosaic order called simply for the con-
struction Of Dam No. 2, which did not
become Wilson Dam until some years
later.
Everthing moved at furious pace
in those days Of hysteria and turmoil
and flve months after the authorize
tion work on the mighty project started
The actual date OF beginning construc-
tion was July 2, 1918.
Four months and nine days later
the military reason for the development
in the action Of q group
OF men who met in q railway car in
the forest Of Laigues. near the village
OF Rethondes, IN France. When these
men affixed their signatures to the
terms OF the srmistice that ended
the World War, the status of Muscle
Shoals was completely reversed.
The armistice. however. was not to
Journeys end for the project
which was to cost the Government
sl40. 900 GOO up to this year. Of which
SAT 100000 was TO be spent upon Will
son Dam. The war may have been
fought to end wars, but its success In
that direction was not universally con-
ceded.
The possibility Of future conflicts
convinced many Of the wisdom OF
the development, the bare
basework OF which then was laid.
Moreover. three other considerations
was to provide huge source of electric
power, naturally developed and conse-
quently achieving the conservation OF
an enormous amount Of coal. This
power could be used for a variety OF
purposes every conceivable in
dustrial service which consumed energy
in the operation of its plants and for
the dozen and one types OF home cleo
trical equipment from light bulbs II
curling irons.
Another Potential Use.
Then, there was another equally
important potential use OF the gigantic
and manufacturing plants.
They could be switched from the pro-
duction OF amonium nitrate for ex-
plosiveS to the manufacture OF the
same substance for fertilizer to re-
fractify the American farm.
Still q third sound military end
to be accomplished by completion OF
the project was that it would make the
Tenne sSee River navigable at all times
instead of merely at periods of high
water. So important Is this purpose re-
by those who do not ap-
prove of other phases Of the develop
$l0.000,000 of the dams
Total cost Is set down as boon "
SO the Army Corps OF Engineers, on
whose hands the Shoals PROJECT WAS TO
a white elephant for dozen
years, went ahead with its development.
When the Wilson Dam was finished in
1925. seven years later, it stood second
to the Panama Canal among world en-
cheering achievements.
Unlike the latter, however. and long
before its largest unit was finished.
Muscle Shoals got into politics. There
1t remained for Is years. to prove, paTl-
that peace can be more tenn
pestuous and warlike than war itself.
What might have happened to the
had not the Nation
changed its dominant political philoso-
phy In 1920 Is q matter of conjecture.
The fact is that it did change. In the
next IL years. it sent three men to the
White House who never could see eye
to eye on the Shoals project with the
several hundred men whom the same
voters installed In congressional berthS
during the same interval. At various
times. both administrative and legisla-
tive branches of the Government mani
feSted conviction that something
should be done about Muscle Shoals.
Never, however. did they attain agree
meEt as to what that something"
should be The nearest approach to
and harmony on the matter
was when the Congress would pass a
resolution authorizing commission to
study potential disposition Of the prof.
ect. These non-decisive measures en-
countered no difficulty IN obtaining
signatures
Operation Crux Of Issue.
The crux of the Muscle Shoals issue
always has been whether the Govern
ment should operate the huge establish
If that hurdle ever could have been
been to obtain agreement on the our
pose for which 1t should nave been
opei ated.
The plant. as mentioned previously.
is designed to turn out two products
en- huge scale-electric power and
nitrates for fertilizer.
Naturally anything SO lavish in the
way of facilities could create volume
of either commodity sufficient to affect
seriously the operations OF private in
cuetry engaged in the same fields. How
do these elements Of the business struc-
ture feel about the matter? Precisely
as one would expect them to feel.
Specifically. their respective views
were stated bv witne SseS. who appeared
before the House Military Affairs Com
mittee in its recent hearings on the
proposal of President Roosevelt to
create a Tennessee Valley authority,