Smyrna times., 1933-05-03
EsHOAL
WILSON DAM
"a the Niagara Of The
Nd As Potential
Water Power
,DorrT 13O FEET

IS ABOUT 10y
ID ,n-uuscle Shoals and
dam. in the further de-
,el y of t',r which the new admin
Z. has !, declared an interest It
y ls,,sr,ra aso of the South" inso-
81 .stastial %.S water power is con-
q ! .rding TO a bulletin from
~ '.nsl ' geographic society.
et 'lIs y shoals is off the main
e y and railroads, and consid-
!! g y, !,ntb fl Of the center Of pOpu-
!. nd ,g IS therefore not SO well
~ :, travelling Americans, as
], y impOrtant power sites"
be bulletin. rhiob
y .aid. are situated, is the
..,rt,ry of the Ohio and car
F. ,-s4 volume of water. espe-
g n fbe spring months. The
srring far to the south ana
= !, Il tbe north, makes a vast
,,s.ter than that in any other
! !. nsior streams Of the United
= srrept the Snake river and
\ Z 10 Grande.
4 i DUps About 1870 Feet.
% i. II the headwaters Of the
= ~ rise in Virginia and the
4 4 tben makes two complete
q y, Il the state Of Tennessee,
ae 4, between times into north
1t I,bsma. 1t is the portion Of
ze \, that lies il Alabama that
\ a, Muscle Shoals, a section Of
!. A q miles long. In this short
v ~ tbe river drops about $50
y rssrly a third Of the entire
II sTen Chattanooga and the
" liver.
pk IN 70 improve the Tennessee
a IVY Shoals have been in exist
(. hr more than a hundred
1t The work was first recon-
a W BY the secretary Of war in
T. This improvement was wholly
J. he purpose Of bettering navi-
"a Work was actually started
III and a canal with several
vas constructed, but was Of
value. Further improvements
sD navigation we're made up
U he World war, when it was
ia to harness the river by a
w dam and to utilize its cleo
Y eaergy for the production Of
Y atg 10 be used in the manufac-
a ammunition. The Wilson
7 vas begun in 1916 and was not
= eied until 1925.
Ills dam is one Of the largest in
!. y Vlled States. The river spreads
ha great breadth SO that the
hCks only about 200 feet Of
I mile long. It is approx
rST l22 feet high to the road
% top, and contained at the
. \ 4 its completion a greater vol
Rzd concrete than any other dam
1e world. Because Of the great
. . ti Of the river at the dam site,
7 nzctlOn was very costly. Dam
I power house have cost to date
l0OO0, The power house is
: itei at the south end Of the
and has foundations which pro
for the installation Of is
u turbines that will produce a
1nun Of 100000 horse power,
Slce the completion Of the viii.
I dam and power house in 1925
lalt has been put to very little
connection with the building
!. a wilson dam, the federal gov,
lent constructed two huge fac.
q for the manufacture OF
! 'ss from the nitrogen of the
Iae various buildings Of one
lsd at the town Of Sheffield
= niles down stream from thC
aefn end Of the dam, are scat
over more than 1900 acres o.
y II has never been in use
second, four miles up stream
sheffield and close to the enc
as dam, occupies a tract of ap
AuaIely 2,S00 acres. 1t ha,
operated only on a test basis
NVernment also constructed :
aeam power plant Of SO,OOC
power with which to operat,
scOad nitrate plant pending
@mpletion of the Dam.
Near City of Florence.
- uOrth end Of the Wilson dan
y ae suburbs of Florence, Ala.
%'lEg little city of 1900 in
u PiOrence is a typical in
southern town of shade,
h ~ y, many of them lined will
~. @l mansions. Like other com
!. 4ss .s near Muscle Shoals, Flor
y. isI y the hectic wartime pros
I, q 'nat poured liberal wage.
4. .ns hands of 10000 worker
NJ n dam and nitrate plants.
~, -su The Wilson dam was built
IwSn,!., lOr power production, tn,
3aSm y VI improving the nav
u r,u... 'ne tennessee river b,
d aa no-., e were not overlooked
III Viii .u end OF the dam is
j b ,ir. = hight Of locks througl
Y !. EH,o, ooats are lifted int