scle Shoals FnMir. m' ./&'/i^ nation Library of Hugh T. Lef/er Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil http://www.archive.org/details/americasgibraltaOOengi '7i GOVERNMENT ENGINEERS DRII.I.ING AT SITE OF DAM NUMBER TW f Library of f Hugh T. LeflBt ^ AmerlcdsClbraltGi' fluscle Shoals -A Brief- | Tox the establishment o[our | National Nitrate Plant at H Muscle Shoals on the \ Tennessee River Pi'epai*ed by Nashville Section Engineering Assoc iat1on_9^'^/^<^ South Published by Muscle Shoals Association Nashville, Tenn. ]()16 ¥oL- .TSW S I X T ->• - F O U R T H C O N C: R E S S FIRST SESSION Senate Document No. 442 Being an Extract from Section One Hundred Twenty-four of the Measure entitled "A Bill to Increase the Efficiency of the Military Establishment of the United States." (h. r. i2766.) NITRATE SUPPLY. The President of the United States is hereby authorized and empowered to make, or cause to be made, such investigation as in his judgment is necessary to determine the best, cheapest, and most available means for the production of nitrates and other products for munitions of war and useful in the manufacture of fertilizers and other useful products by water power or any other power as in his judgment is the best and cheapest to use; and is also hereby authorized and empowered to designate for the exclusive use of the United States, if in his judgment such means is best and cheapest, such site or sites, upon any navigable or non-navigable river or rivers or upon the public lands, as in his opinion will be necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Act; and is further authorized to construct, maintain, and operate, at or on any site or sites so desig- nated, dams, locks, improvements to navigation, power houses, and other plants and equip- ment or other means than water power as in his judgment is the best and cheapest, neces- sary or convenient for the generation of electrical or other power and for the production of nitrates or other products needed for munitions of war and useful in the manufacture of fertilizers and other useful products. The President is authorized to lease, purchase, or acquire, by condemnation, gift, grant, or devise, such lands and rights of vsay as may be necessary for the construction and opera- tion of such plants, and to take from any lands of the United States, or to purchase or ac- quire by condemnation, materials, minerals, and processes, patented or otherwise, necessary for the construction and operation of such plants and for the manufacture of such products. The products of such plants shall be used by the President for military and naval pur- poses to the extent that he may deem necessary, and any surplus which he shall determine is not required shall be sold and disposed of by him under such regulations as he may pre- scribe. The President is hereby authorized and empowered to employ such officers, agents, or agencies as may in his discretion be necessary to enable him to carry out the purposes herein specified, and to authorize and require such officers, agents, or agencies to perform an\ and all of the duties imposed upon hini b\- the pro\'isions hereof. The sum of $20,000,000 is hereb\- appropriated, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, available until expended, to enable the President of the United States to carr\- out the purposes herein provided for. The plant or plants provided for under this Act shall be constructed and operated solely bv the Government and not in conjunction with any other industr\- or enterprise carried on b> private capital Muscle Shoals Association Offi icers A. M. SHOOK. Chairman Tracv Citv. Tenn. E. B. STAHLMAN. Vice-Chairman, Nashville, Tenn. T, O. VINTON, Vice-Chairman, Memphis. I enn. WILL R. MANIER. Secretary. Nashville. Tenn. JOHN HOWE PEYTON. ( hairman Engineering Committee. Nashville. Tenn. P. J. KREUSI. Vice-Chairman. Chattanooga. Tenn. EMMETT O'NEAL. Vice-Chairman. Birmingham. Ala. C. H. HUSTON. Treasurer. Chattanooga. Tenn. J. H. ALLISON. Chairman Publicity Committee. Nashville. Tenn. NASHVILLE SECTION ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION of THE SOUTH Committee on Data and Publication John Howe Pf.yton. Chairman HuNiKR McDonald. Vice-Chairman W. 1 1. SCHUHKM.^N H. S. Badger C. H. Crawford A. J. Dyer Willis G. Waldo. Executive .Secretary C. S. Brown W. S. Winn F. E. Freeland Leland Hume %1 TE> oroxv^or d OUR NATIONAL REQUIREMENT THE AMENDMENT providing for an adequate means for the manufacture of nitric acid, which was incorporated in the National Defense Bill recently passed by Congress, is a feature of vital im- portance, it makes possible an abundant supply of nitric acid for our country's defense, and as nitric acid is an indispensable ingredient in all explosives, the provision is essential to any scheme for effective mil- itary preparedness. Highly significant, however, is the fact that this amendment was provided, not by the Committee on Military Affairs, but by the Committee on Agricul- ture, for thus was emphasized a great need of our country a need both military and economic in its nature, for this preparedness for the possible emer- gency of war is at the same time, a fundamental pro- vision for the common welfare in time of peace. Whether, then, we consider our requirement in peace or in war our country's nation-wide deficiency can be expressed in a single word nitrogen Public attention was officially drawn to this sub- ject by Hon. Lindsley M. Garrison. Secretary of War. when in his annual report for 1915 he referred to the use of hydro-electric energy in the process of obtaining nitrogen from the air as a matter of "prime importance " in considering the means "to meet our necessities in widely differing fields — our agricultural and general industrial development, and our national defense." Continuing, he said: "Such a use requires large quantities of cheap power, which can be found only in the use of water power =^ * * Military effectiveness requires ample quantities of the element (nitro- gen), and the proper appreciation of national se- curity behooves us to make provision for an ade- quate supply in time of war. Our only present source of supply is in the natural nitrate beds of Chile, which m time of war might be shut off from us. Obviously in the matter of munitions, especially where the source is so limited and local- ized, we should neglect no provision so easily available as this to make the country self-sus- taining. Plants producing nitrogen for industrial purposes in time of peace would be a great nation- al asset in view of their availability to supply us with the necessary nitrogen in time of war." THE PLAN ADOPTED BY CONGRESS Realizing the need for taking immediate steps to overcome so serious a national defici- ency. Congress amended the military preparedness bill so as to include an appropriation of $20,000,000 for the establishment of a nitrate plant, the two- THE LOCATION OE THE PLANT fold purpose being to insure to the government a safe and sufficient supply of nitrogen in the form of nitric acid for the manufacture of explosives, and to provide an abundance of cheap fertilizer. of which nitrogen is the necessary base, in order to increase and cheapen the food production of the country. This plan of Congress is no experiment. It has been tried by other nations with wonderful results. It is no secret that the amazing effectiveness of Germany in military and economic preparedness is largely due to their utilization of atmospheric nitrogen. The plan has met with opposition, but it will be shown that this opposition is limited, self-interested and ill-founded. The public welfare is paramount, and cannot be disregarded at the behest of any pri- vate interest. The Government having de- clared its purpose, the very important question to be de- cided by the President and his counsellors, is the lo- cation of the nitrate plant. We are confident that we can demonstrate that the South offers an exceptionally suitable site on the Tennessee River for the proposed plant; a site that will afford ample water power, with all the necessary associated and contributing natural resources and industrial advantages to make it preeminently fitted for the purposes contemplated by Congress. In addition, the establishment of the nitrate plant at Muscle Shoals will remove the last obstacle to the unimpeded navigation of the Tennessee River and will provide water transportation for a great section of country, thus completing a necessary, but long delayed, waterway improvement. And so. to point out the far- THE PURPOSE OE ,. ■ ,- , THE ASSOCIATION '■^aching significance of one small item in a voluminous measure on Military Preparedness: To awaken our farmers and their many friends to the pressing need of leaving nothing undone that will rightly aid in estab- lishing this great nitrate plant where it will have its maximum economic usefulness: To draw from reliable sources* the information that unfolds our subject in its many phases, and points unerringly, we believe, to one great power site as the place for the working out of this vast undertaking: To lay these facts clearly before our President and his chosen ad- visors, and to distribute them for general information: This is the purpose to which we dedicate these pages. The Committee. mdicating a publication listed oi, pp tion on which the supporting data ' Club; R. W. Lindsey. Sei.reiarv. Enslev— Ensley Club; J. J. Chisholm. Georij;e Mil- ler and D. C. Aver>'t, Comrr' Fort Payne — C hamber of Com Secretary. Jasper — C ham ber munitions plant perhaps the most impor- tant requirement aside from adequate hydro-electric power and its comparative safety from capture, is the variety and abundance of the minerals that are indis- pensable to warfare, within easy reach. Muscle Shoals, with the Hi coke for the making of cyanamide. with the bountiful supply of iron ore in threat variety and the coke for its manufacture into pig iron, and with manganese, alumi- num, zinc, copper and lead easily access- ible, it appears that the advantages of thee be equalled ntry. Nashville, Tenn Tce;C.A.\Volfes. Ciias. R. Wiggins. Secrelar>' Mobile — Chamber of Commerce; W. M. Clemens. Secretary. Montgomery — Chamber of Commerce; Bruce Kennedy. Ccne Selma — City Council; Louis Benisli, Mayor. Sylacauga — City Council; T. P. Johnson, Mayor. CALIFORNIA Long Beach — Merchants' and Manufact Secretary. Club; T. j. I.I RG — Commercial Club; T. C. Hannah. League; A. J. Dorman. League; W. B. Ellis. Board of Trade and Cotton Exchange; Club; C. E. Sisk. President. .\. H.Simpson. President. E— Progressive Club; i usiness League ; W. Will K. Ward. Los Gatos — Merchants" .\ssoci L\MAR — Young Ml ; E. E. Place, President. COLORADO ness Association; G. L. Carrico. Secretarj". Valley Credit Association; G. L. Carrico. Manager. CONNECTICUT less Men's Association; C. H. Starkweather. Secretar Water \'.\llev — Water X'alley Boosters* Club; Guy Xeson. Secretary', West Point — .Merchants' Association; R. L. Bettv. Secretar>'. Wi(.<,iNs— Progressive Lcagiio; E. R. Bryan. President. MISSOURI Lial Club; L. N. Shipley. Stvrelury. Southport — Commercial Association; C. L. Stevens, Secretary. Wilson — Chamber of Commerce; C E. Hope. Secretarj'. OHIO Galion — Chamber of Commerce; L. M. Vauglni. Secretary. -Chamber of Commerce; C. H. Sexauer, Secretarj'. OKLAHOMA ■ Retail Merchants' Arthur Ersland. .\ — -Board of Tradt . State < ; L. P. GEORGIA -Phillip Cook, Secretary^ of State. Americvs — Americus and Su ^ Glover, President. Griffin — Retail Merchants' Niles. President. County Chamber of Commerce; Carr d Business Men's .Association; George INDIANA Harry Lathrop, Secreta L. ^L Wallace, Preside.,. Havi Try Lathrop, Secretary ol[s — Indiana Engineering Society; L. ^L Wallace, President E— Rush County Chamber of Commerce; Hot Bristol — Board of Trade; J. D, Faucette. President. Chattanooga — Chattanooga Engineers' Club; O. B. Agner, Vice- Clarksville — Chamber of Commerce; P. J. Atkinson, Secretary. Columbia — Board of Trade; A. B. Sowell. Secretary-. CKSON— Tenne.<-;.i- Rur.il I_.-lt.r ( .irn. CKSON — Merchants' and Manufacturt President. KENTUCKY Bardstown — Nelson County Business Men": man. President. Cadiz— Trigg County Devd.M,; ■ \ : ,: .cob S. He> , Secretary. i Me Me -Ma County Commerdal Club; J. W. Kevil, County Industrial Club; C. J. Kellem. Board of Trade and Retail Merchants' .Association; C. W. Cniic. Secretary . Turner" J. C. McClary. Paris — Commercial Club; O, T. Hin' ScOTTSViLLE — Commercial Club; J President. St\ resident. LOUISIANA Alexandrl\ — Chamber of Commerce mark. President. Jennings— Chamber of Commerce; i< Vice- President - Lake Charles and Calcasieu Paris of Commerce; Herbert Bayliss, Genei New Orleans — Louisiana Engineer Samuel Young. President. MISSISSIPPI Brookhwen — Board of Trade; W. Secretarj . CoLL-MBi^ — Marion County Truck Growers' -As- sociation. N. R. Burkett, President. COLUMBLS — Chamber of Commerce; J. G. Weath- erlj, Manager. ,E— Tennessee Academy of Science; Samuel M. Bain, Preside; — Commercial Club; J, A. Susong, President. -Business Men's .Association; John T. Long, President. -Middle Tennessee Farmers' Insl" ler-:on. \'ice- President. As I understand ii be met in the select safety from captun proximity to all the by the enemy iterials used i ufacture of the various product gether with adequate hydro-electric p "There is probably no place in the I the required power. In to the Shoals are the qu to supply Ml ntity for of close proximity arries and mines ill demands for lead. zin< easy reach. The level plains coming ur to the river bluffs about the M uscle Shoals are most admirable locations for manu- facturing plants of various kinds, and of any desired magnitude. EUGENE A. SMITH. State Geologist of Alabama Commercial Club; A. E. Board of Trade; John W. Harton, I 1.1. \H.)MA— Middle Tennessee Ed IT Oawford, President. ^'iM hf:ster — Chamber of Comn .\le\ander. President. TEXAS lIstix — Chamber nf CnmnHTu-; President. H. H. iCii rial K — -Chamber of Commerce — Citizen"s Leagui M. S. Jacobs, .\dolpli Seide- ann. Secretarv. T .Arthur — Board of Trade; W. H. Richard- n, Secretarv. KL-M— Commercial Club; J. M. Halle. Sere- Barksdale. Preside] Tb^blQ of Cbnioni's Part One: On This We Rest Our Case . . .11 What we seek to show. Part Two: A Serious Situation and the Way Out . 13 The effect of a National Nitrate Plant on the high cost of living -and what it will do for the farmer. Part Three: Our Powerless Prowess . . . .18 The Military Situation and Uncle Sam's Nitrate Plant. Part Four: New Light on an Old Subject . . .22 .Navigation on the Tennessee River and what the de- velopment of Muscle Shoals will do for it. Part Five: A Phantom Opponent .... 28 Turning the searchlight upon the possibilities of by- product Coke Oven production. Part Six: The Offering of the South .... 42 What Muscle Shoals supplies to meet the needs of the Nitrate Plant in time of Peace. Part Seven: Our National Treasure House . . .51 What Muscle Shoals and Adjacent Territory offer to meet the needs of the Nitrate Plant in time of War. Part Eight: And Finally- 59 References 61 Appendix Resource Map of the United .State.s Inside Back Cover NORTH ABUTMENT DAM NUMBER THREE «,™vD.o.,t,nu^,,|:.„|"„.„io,j<^j- 1 m What We Seek to Show FIRST -That a primary purpose of the section of the law appropriating $20,000,000 for a nitrate plant was to provide a full and dependable supply of cheap, high grade fertilizer for increasing the crop production of the country, an increase that is sorely needed to reduce the high and ever rising cost of living. (Part Two) Second— That our nation, depending upon present resources, might he brought to serious straits in the event of war for tack of nitric acid for the manufacture of explosives; and that Congress realized the necessity of providing for a definite, controllable supply of at least 180,000 tons of this acid annually in case of war, in addition to that produced to meet the normal and rapidly growing needs of the country. (Part Three) Third Thai these two essential developments in the fields of agriculture and military pre- paredness will carry with them another great public benefit, if the plants be worked out at Muscle Shoals, namely, the opening of the Tennessee River to modern navigation- -a long-delayed but inevitable improvement upon which there has already been expended millions of dollars, and the completion of which has been contemplated by Federal and State Governments for more than ninety years. (Part Four) Fourth That a true policy of conservation demands that we shall utilize the power of our running streams to extract the nitrogen that we need from the inexhaustible atmosphere; and that by-product ammonia has no place in so comprehensive a program, for the reason that it is far too limited in quantity and much too high in price to bring to the country the great benefits in time of peace which were contemplated by Congress. And, moreover, it cannot be depended upon for a safe and sufficient supply of nitric acid in time of war. (Part Five) Fifth That Muscle Shoals on the Tennessee River offers the most suitable site for the plant which is to afford a far-reaching benefit to the nation thru the production of a cheap effective fertilizer in time of peace, and an equally surpassing location for the plant which, thru the production of nitric acid for military- use. is to become a national bulwark in time of war. (F^arts Six and Seven) Sixth That in all our broad land there is no other locality save the Central South which can offer to the nation's Chief Executive, who is to make the selection, the combination of the neces- sary safe and central site, the abundance of power, the wealth of closely associated resources, the proximity to commanding markets, the favorable climate, and the benefits to navigation which characterize the proposed location at Muscle Shoals. (Part Eight) J^^Tf" Par I Two Situation^^ ThGWayOut "^if ■ ' ' JMV, _ J ■ / 00 ■4a / \ ^ \ 7 P _/" V- A ^ A . ^J^ r /-( ^-_ _,,-/Vs J. U -" ,» 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 M 1 A . MNU-VL ^^tfiALt EXPORT PRICEi 1\ THE The Effect of a National Nitrate Plant on the High Cost of Living, and What it Will Do for the Farmer OUR WASTEFUL FARMING WORLD STARVATION AND REMEDY The past century has seen an industrial development in the United States that has no parallel in all history. The once insignificant colony struggling for existence amid unexplored forests has become the richest of the nations. (Diag. 2. p. I I) Our forefathers found themselves in a land where the natural resources could scarcely be measured. With courage and enterprise that won the admiration of the world they applied themselves to the task of utilizing the vast natural wealth, taking only the best at hand, and wasting all else, for was there not enough and to spare? So we find that only the richest lands were cultivated, and as the soils lost their fertility the farmers merely contented them- selves with reduced returns, or moved to new' locations. The consequences of this utter wastefulness have become painfully evident. As early as 1898 Sir William Crookes, then President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, pointed out to the Associ- Have we, then, adopt- ed an adequate artificial means of restoring to our soils this indispen- sable element? Far from It. Four-fifths of every breath wc draw and a large part of our daily food IS nitrogen. Above every seven acres is as much of this element as the world consumes in a year in the form of salt- peter, the principal com- mercial form of nitrogen I - .....1. Yd in all the United Stales, with its wealth of watcrpower and host of electric furnaces ation ("I that the world's food consumption was run- ning beyond the capacity of the cultivated lands pro- ducing It. He expressed the conviction that the only way in which world starvation could be averted, the sole sufficient means of increasing the yield of the world's cultivated acres, would be found in the universal use of a bountiful supply of fertilizer con- taining that most valuable element, nitrogen. Every progressive farmer knows that the fertility of his soil depends upon the phosphoric acid and potash, and in an overwhelming measure, upon the nitrogen it contains. He knows that should the supply of this nitrogen become too greatly reduced the best of soils will not repay its cultivation, while the utter lack of nitrogen would soon reduce to a barren waste a soil which in other respects might be most favored. HereinAmericaafter years of careless agriculture on fertile lands, with virgin fields to be had in abundance, we find that we have robbed our soils of the nitrogen that only countless centuries can restore by natural processes. SWEDEN AUsrRlA-HUS'GAR^ FRANCE £.\CLAt |m)4 l*n, WV l'««J 1902 1904 1906 1906 1910 1' $450 $400 J $330 i / $300 $250 / / 1 / / $700 <-% A \ y / ..n ihq; u'm i«.», !-.■)« looo i9o2 \w m. vm, nm r It should be noted that in discussing the high cost of living we do not consider the sharp advances in prices which have occurred since the beginning of the European war. since the condition created is far from normal, but let us examine these advances for a moment: The following table, compiled by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows the increase in prices of the past few months in Washington. D. C: Article 1890 Round Steak 126 Pork Chops .10 Ham 138 Lard : .103 Flour (1-8 bbl.) .951 Potatoes 271 Eggs 232 Butter .31 Sugar 06 I From th« Waihinalon Tin,,,. ^ Apr. Oct. 1915 1916 .11 .501 .11 .25 .19 .244 .13 .20 1.25 1.36 .35 .43 .40 .45 .38 .434 .065 .077 THE WAY OUT- CHEAP FERTILIZER As stated by Sir William Crookes, the way out of the difficulty lies in the increase in crop yields per acre (Diag. 10. p. 15) cultivated without additional labor ("i. One means alone is known for accomplishing this -the use of suf- ficient nitrogen, supplemented by the other prin- cipal plant foods, phosphoric acid and potash, making a complete fertilizer, in which the most expensive ( " i,) 7. OUR INCREASING CONSUMPTION OF CHILEAN NITRATE (73) and important element IS nitrogen. (Diag. 12, p. 1 7) 'j^y^^r ^ , tr^ FIXATION of AT MOS^ PHERIC NITROGEN 1 chemical process which takes it from the air and places it in lime, or other materials so that it can be used. Here is an mdustry built up by fifteen years of scientific re- search which offers to the farm- er the cheap fertilizer which he so much needs to increase food supply and reduce its high cost. .'\nd we of the United States, chief among nitrogen paupers, struggling with inadequate crop yields and rising prices for food. are. save one. the only great modern nation which has failed to seize this beneficent offering of science and turn it to account for the welfare of our people. (Diag. 6. p. 13) Ger- many. Italy. England. France. Norway. Sweden, Austria. Canada and Japan have established large fac- tories for taking their nitrogen from the atmosphere and have devoted a million continuous horsepower solely to this one industry ("' ,). Germany alone, since the beginning of the war. has developed an air-nitrogen industry requiring 300.000 continuous 2 1 -hour horsepower at a cost of more than a hundred million dollars. As a result of this notable en- terprise she is independent today of all outside sources of nitrogen and will apparently continue so throughout all time i" ,'. The plan of Congress is not without opposition on the part of certain politicians and self-centered interests. They declare that it is socialistic and that it brings the government into commercial business in competition with private concerns. \ \ / \ % \ ■'"OBACco2;a2Zll^:==H \ \ OTHER / \^ / \ CEREALS / \^ / \ 17.2% / OKN / vL 21.4 : y Crops of the U. S (<)0 75) To accomplish the needed results, the fertilizer must be cheap, so cheap that the farmer can use it bountifully and with a profit of one hundred to two hundred per cent on its cost, whether he be located in the great wheat belt of the northwest, in the potato country of Maine, or in the corn and cotton sections of the central and southern states. Our principal sources of nitro- SOURCES OF NITRO- , ,- . , GENOUS FERTILIZER S^"°"' fertilizer materials are three in number: First, there is cotton seed, which constitutes the source of one- half of our supply of nitrogen for fertilizers ( "' ). The utter wastefulness of using this valuable feedstuff as a fertilizer is condemned in no uncertain terms by Mr. Tate Butler, Editor of the Progrcssicc Farmer. who says: "As a general principle, it may be laid down to be adhered to in most cases, that any pro- duct which is not suitable food for men but good feed for livestock should not be sold off the farm. Nor should any product suitable for feeding livestock be used as a fertilizer direct, as a general farm practice" '' i. Mr. Butler then shows conclusively that while one ton of cotton-seed meal has a market value of but $30.00 when sold as a fertilizer, it has a combined feeding and fertilizer value of $62.50 per ton when used as feed for cattle. The second source of nitrogen supply, namely, the ammonia secured as a so-called "by-product ' from the manufacture of coke, is disqualified by its own champions as an adequate source of cheap fertilizer (Part 3). The third source of nitrogen gives assurance of meeting the demands of the situation in every par- ticular. This source is the free nitrogen of the at- mosphere, "fixed" or made available by an electro- t/. 5. NOT IN FER- TILIZER BUSINESS OATS LMII II kl\L l« l\l i.iini\M i 1 1 1 1 SI 1 1 I ) M \[l-.~ POTATOES The charge is without foundation. The govern- ment has no idea of entering into trade. It is simply doing what the government alone can do — making possible the production of fertilizer on a sufficient scale and at a price low enough to enable the farmer to make profitable the use of fertilizer, in which at present, with certain crops, he finds little or no profit, or even risks a loss by its use. To extract great supplies of nitrogen from the at- mosphere a large amount of very cheap power is needed— so cheap that it must be had for less than ten dollars per horsepower per year (" ,,) or from one-third to one-fourth of what it costs a large steam plant to produce it. If sufficient fertilizer is to be supplied, so that the plant may become an effective factor in the situation, then 200,000 horsepower must be available for 90 per cent of the time ('" 1,1. To produce this amount of electrical energy at such a low rate we must rely upon water- power, for it is a well known fact that no steam or gas plant, ^'io"Ai"A"i^^l- however favorably "'^" '"' ""^' located, could pro- duce power at costs even ap- proaching such a figure, and to adopt such a measure would mean a heavy and entirely unnecessary draft upon our coal supplies. The estab- "'°e*\*/o"^'^ lishment of such a hydro-electric plant is properly to be undertaken by the Govern- ment, not only because of the great national need that it will supply, but also because of the large investment necessary. While a first-class steam-electric plant may be built in "•" '"'" normal times in most locations for. say, $50 per horsepower, the waterpower plant, with its huge dam and acres of overflowed lands, costs upward of $ 1 00 per horsepower ( " nl. The physical operation of a large waterpower plant is not expensive (being only about $2 per horsepower per year), but the interest and sink- ing fund charge upon the investment is a large item, as it represents about 80 per cent of the cost of hydro- electric power when developed bv private interests. (Diag. II. p. 17) So. other things being equal, he who can borrow money at the lowest rate can sell power the cheapest. and the production of cheap hydro-electric power is seen to be chiefly a problem in financing, rather than one in engineering. The party preeminent as a borrower at low rates IS our Uncle Sam A private individual in building WHYUS SHOULD BUILD PLANT up a new plant involving the risks attending a hydro- electric installation must pay 10 per cent for in- terest and sinking fund charges while our Government need pay but 4 per cent for these items (" tL In Canada, near Lake St. John, there are mag- nificent power sites, and a million horsepower can be developed there, the first three hundred thousand of which, according to engineers' estimates, need not cost over $40 per horsepower i *" it). Suppose a private individual develops a Canadian power site. His interest and sinking fund expense per annual horsepower must be 10 per cent of $40 or $4, added to which will be $2 for operation, making his total cost $6 for each horsepower per year. Now suppose that Uncle Sam undertakes to se- cure power at a site in the United States which costs, say, $100 per horsepower for its development. His interest and sinking fund expense will be but 4 per cent of $100 or $4 per annual horsepower, and his operating expense $2 making his total cost $6 for each horsepower per year. That is to say that al- though his investment is much greater, his cost per annual horsepower will be no greater than that of the Canadian plant. In other words, our Government through its power to borrow money at low rates can. in effect, bring into the United Stales the splendid Canadian power sites with their superior possibilities for pro- ducing electrical energy at low cost. And this is just what is needed by the farmer. For the law provides that the President may sell the sur- plus products of the nitrate plant, chief among which would -Courto„Ho.pe. 6 Broj.A V be electric power; ESTINC EXPERIMENT IN THE FE BTl LIZ ^TION ap(J prlvatC Capital under Government supervision can take this cheap power in time of peace and convert it into a cheap effective fertilizer by combining fixed nitrogen and phosphate rock, pro- ducing a material that is 60 per cent plant food ("- ,„i. And finally, an important advantage in this plan is seen in the fact that by securing our fertilizer and our nitric acid in this manner, we have added this much to the resources of our country and have not simply diverted a material already in use for other purposes, to the detriment of other interests, in order that these great ends may be served. What then, are the demands QU.ALlFIC.-ITIONSOh j i .i . MOST SUIT.4BLE SITE "'^'^'^ "^^ 'he economic situ- ation upon the site which shall claim to be the proper location for such a 5.>=!-i>-i^- 'f V $2,700,000 Steam-Electric Plant Coal IS Inst to the countn.' as soon as the power is utilizerl Hydro-Electric Plant W'aterpower is lost to tlie country so lo as the waters are not utilized fertilizer plant? As a foremost requisite, it must afford ultimately not less than 200,000 horsepower available 90 per cent of the time ( ' ,,. and costing not more than $5 to $10 per horsepower per year ( " ,,). The necessary raw materials, such as limestone, coke and phosphate rock ( "' „ ,1 in quantities prac- tically without limit, must be available within easy reach, and the site should be centrally located with respect to the great fertilizer consuming sections of the country, the greater part of which are devoted to cotton and corn. (Diag. 9. p. I 5) so that the average transpor- vdro-Electric Power Plant ok Same Capacity (74 585. 590) tation charges on the product would be a minimum. It should have the advantage of a mild climate with its freedom from ice and there should also be no lack of that cheap contented labor to be found where living is cheaper than in the more rigorous latitudes. At first view it might seem wholly impossible to find a great power site capable of meeting such an array of requirements. But our country is truly for- tunate in possessing such a site, favored above all others in the requisites for such an undertaking. But that, as Kipling has said, is another story. THt PRLStNT i-IU-i FERTILIZER BY I .AR THE THE 6-10- i FEKTIEIZER RHOXIMENDLD B^) I HI MOST COMMONER- USED IN GEORGIA AND GEORGIA DEPT OF AGRICULTURE AS THE AL.AB.AM.A FOR THE COTTON CROP IDEAL MIXTURE FOR THE COTTON CROP Rl.i OMMLNDED PLR( FN FACES OF INi RFASE A\l\Il)\l \ 82';o Nitrogen POTASH PHU.^PH* )Kli A( ID NONE r \US1BIA-HUW — .lATED POPULATION OF WORLD'S PRINCI- Pa r|' Three ~~6uv Povdeiiess 1 Provoss The Military Situation and Uncle Sam's Nitrate Plant AMERICAS SERIOUS PLIGHT The largest publisher in the world is the Congress of the United States I'M. In ad- dition to publishing thousands of books, reports and pamphlets, the proceedings in the various sessions of the Senate or House, and in the many hearings before the committees of Congress, are printed, word for word. But there was one publication, an account of a hearing before the Committee on Military Affairs of the Sixty-third Congress. Second Session, for which an interested public waited in vain — it was never printed I " , ,1- Reasons enough, there were, for suppressing its publication, for on that day. before the Investigating Committee, no less an authority than Brig. -Gen. Wil- liam Crozier. Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance. U. S. Army, presented testimony both startling and alarming. What he said was given in confidence, but today it is a well known fact that at the time of that hearing there was in all America sufficient powder for but two and one-half hours' fighting as it is done today (•■•■■'.,,). The most serious phase of the situation lay in the fact that we have no adequate source of raw material for making our own explosives, but are obliged to import the principal fundamental requirement nitrate of soda, the source of the necessary nitrogen - from Chile (^' ,, ). (Diag. 7. p. 14) When we observe the astonishing changes that a few months' time has wrought in the worlds most civilized countries, it is not surprising that grave apprehension was aroused concerning our powder situation. Preparations to increase our imports of nitrate were quickly undertaken. Appropriations were made for the erection of storehouses and for the accumu- lation of a reserve supply of 32.500 tons of the indis- pensable nitrate, and in July. 1914. we were said to have some 20.000 to 25.000 tons on hand, altho it was stated that five years' time would be required to complete our supply I " u i '• And such a pitiable supply it is! Germany at the beginning of the war had. not twice this amount, but twenty limes as much, and exhausted it completely within a few months '" , >■ So grave is the situa- tion that a prominent member of the Naval Con- sulting Board is credited with the statement that — "The lack of nitric acid, the indispensable chemical in the manufacture of smokeless pow- der and high explosives, would cause the United States to be defeated in less than a year after war started with a first-class power, unless our navy was more powerful than that of the enemy' DEMANDS OF MOD- Modern warfare calls for ERN li'ARFARE FOR powder and explosives on a EXPLOSIVES scale without a parallel. Be- fore an infantry attack the ground must be pre- pared" not merely by shelling the enemy's position with single shots, or at best, salvos of carefully timed shells from a small battery as in the War of 1861-65. but by a torrent of steel that must sweep the field as ^.^.Wftj,, ,^!S&ii^^-- Mia& 1sS?»»' a solid sheet, plowing the enemy's trenches to the underlying rock and wrecking safety pits thirty feet below the ground. For. on most excellent authority {'-"' i,,] we know that the 40-centimeter (16-inch) shells in use today penetrate the ground and explode with such terrific force that a crater thirty feet deep and fifty feet in diameter is often formed, while men arc buried alive by the score beneath the avalanche of falling earth. It IS needless to remark that the consumption of high explosives in this orgy of death and destruction IS stupendous — no less than a hundred times as great as in any previous conflict m history. As to their comparative values Brig. -Gen. Crozier, Chief of Ordnance. U. S. Army, testified before a committee of Congress i -'" , ,i as follows; "There arc two ways of getting nitric acid inde- pendently of an outside source of supply. One is by the use of ammonia, which is one of the by-prod- ucts of coke making, gotten from coke ovens. That, I think. Would give a limited source of supply. 1 am not able to say the extent to which we could rely on that. It has never been relied on at all in this country. It is chemically possible to pro- duce it in this way, and there is a good deal of the coke-makjng industry in this country. "The best reliance which I think could be had 3 111 1 i 'I'- I R I H II % Hli I I ^ IS Based upon estimates of our War Department. Germany's bill for powder alone soon after the out- break of the war amounted to $1,000,000 per day ("', 1, j and when we remember that all Germany could be readily placed within our single state of Texas, the possible requirements for the defense of our 1 I .000 miles of coast line and border fronts are not reassuring, to say nothmg of our remote lock-canal and oversea possessions. (Diag. 14. p. 18) There are but two recognized sources of nitrogen for powder manufacture that are known to be commercially available within our boun- daries the by-product ammonia resulting from the manufacture of coke from coal, and the free nitrogen of the atmosphere. THE T[\0 SOURCES OH NITROGEN would he upon the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen which is now being done in several countries abroad and which requires a very considerable amount of cheap electric power, so cheap in order to compete With the imported nitrate, that it can only be had now by the use of abundant water power." ^ To depend upon the by-product of any single industry to meet the country's powder require- ments in time of war would be the utmost folly, and in a later discussion we will attempt to point out the dangerous fallacy of placing reliance in by-product coke ovens for this enormous suppK' of nitrogen for ex- plosives. The wording of the National Defense .Act itself would indicate that Congress realizes to the fullest extent that the one great adequate source of nitrogen is the atmosphere which surrounds us. Bv making use of the ECONOMY OF THE " . i PLAN OF CONGRESS atmosphere under the plan now before the President a large and important advant- age IS to be gamed. The country can secure the facilities of a $42,000,000 nitric acid plant at a cost of but $20,000,000 since the $22,000,000 plant to be built for the manu- facture of fertilizer can be converted into a plant for the manufacture of ammonia gas for use in making nitric acid by the simple turning of a valve i" ,!. The Government, therefore, will need only the necessary plant to complete the final step of the process, namely, the oxidizing of the ammonia gas mto nitric acid. Under this arrangement the Government's investment would be — Dam, locks and power house $12,000,000 Nitric acid plant 8.000.000 Total $20,000,000 In this way the Government can meet its needs. owning and operating its own plant and having no relations with outside parties other than the common one of buyer and seller. FIXING LOCATION of ^"'^ ""'^"^ f^°"'^ ""! .'°""= NITRIC ACID PLANT ^'"^ S""^"" P'^"'- r^quirmg as it does 120.000 continuous horsepower i"»',.i in time of war for the production from the atmosphere of this 180.000 tons of nitric acid — two-thirds of the consumption of Germany at the beginning of the war —estimated as the amount needed by our army and navy? i '■ ■.' *The italics arc ours The first consideration is the clear pronouncement of the War College ('""/,,,. ste. s,' : "As a general military principle no supply depot, arsenal nor manufacturing plant of any considerable size supported by War Department appropriations for military purposes, should be established or maintained east of the Appalachian Mountains, west of the Cascade or Sierra iWccada Mountains nor within 200 miles of our Canadian or Mexican borders and steps should be taken gradu- ally to cause to he moved depots and manufacturing plants already established in ciolat'on of this military principle." (See Appendix Map at back of booklet.) Here then is the chief of our fundamental require- ments dictated by the law of self-protection, often worded "Safety First." We believe that no power smssii:r'>}meim'^'i¥ i* site, however attractive in other ways, located outside the limits of the safety zone thus clearly established, would command the President's serious consideration: for not only must our plant lie far beyond the range of the guns of a possible enemy, but it should be lo- cated m a region naturally protected from mvasion and distantly removed from possible enemy aero- stations. The map at back of booklet shows the safety line of the War College with reference to the location of the country's principal streams, its natural resources, and its Government arsenals and munition plants. Notice how few of the large power streams lie within the safety zone. (See also Map 3 1 . pp. 39, 40) A second demand made by the requirements of the military situation is that the location shall be reason- ably central. The tremendous difficulties attending the protection of thousands of miles of transportation lines needed to haul the Government's nitric acid, and the unreasonable cost of bringing all of this dangerous acid from a remote corner of the country make figures unnecessary in support of the contention that, other ^ .^^ l\l >^M 'f:. things being equal, that site is the most suitable which IS in closest touch with the Government's centers of distribution of war munitions, and which possesses the lowest transportation rates. A third essential is found in the fact that this plant will require approximately 120.000 horsepower (" „) which may be required continuously day and night at any time, and for an indefinite period, to produce annually at least 180.000 tons of nitric acid. A fourth requirement calls for a plentiful supply of necessary raw materials within easy reach. Just what these essentials would be would depend, of course, upon the process used. It is likely that a bountiful supply of pure, high-grade limestone and a good grade of coking coal, together with an abundance of pure water would be primary requisites. As a fifth condition, since the making of muni- tions is a companion industry to the nitrate plant, it is desirable that sufficient power and the necessary raw materials for the manufacture of munitions of war shall be readily available. And finally, for the making of nitric acid for explosives no less than for the manufacture of fertil- izer there would be required those favorable conditions s l<)0<) (37 430) respecting labor and climate, to which reference has already been made in a former chapter, with the added desirable condition that the local population shall be native American, as free from an>' foreign element as possible. As was seen in the case of the situation for the fertilizer plant, it would seem difficult if not impos- sible to find a location not barred by these formidable requirements, in this land of unfavorable power sites. But we are doubly fortunate, for centering about the site that is the ideal location for the production of cheap fertilizer, we find every raw material necessary for the making of nitric acid in time of war — and not materials for the acid alone but for the whole gamut of military requirements from the steel for great siege guns down to the aluminum for the soldiers' drinking cups. In chapters that follow (Parts 6 and 7) we briefly describe some of the principal resources of that great valley of natural riches christened affectionately by its people "The Dimple of the Universe. " ■ ■ ' 1 AI ± Wf '^ R U 1 1 J^ r RATES ON WHEAT FROM ( Pai-j Four f^nTQv Light on an Old Subject Navigation on the Tennessee River and What the Development of Muscle Shoals Will Do For It EFFORTS OF THE PAST If a county should build a stretch of level highway of the best material, expending a large sum in its construction, and fail to improve a few steep hills over which onK' the lightest loads could be drawn, such procedure would closely resemble that of the State and National Governments in their efforts to improve the Tennessee River for navigation by the canalization at Muscle Shoals. As a chain is no stronger than its weakest link, so a river is no more navigable than its shallowest stretch. It was in strange disregard of this simple fact that the State of Alabama in 1831 1836, assisted by the United States Government, built the first Muscle Shoals Canal. Congress granted 400.000 acres of public lands to the State of Alabama, the proceeds from the sale of which were to be applied principally to the improvement of Muscle Shoals and of Colbert Shoals. Although canals around Elk River Shoals. Little Muscle Shoals. Nance's Reef and Muscle Shoals proper were needed, only the latter waterway was constructed. It contained 17 locks each 120 ft. long by 32 ft. wide and each having a "lift of almost 5 ft. But as the canal could be reached only by craft which could pass the shoals above it. which were still unimproved, it was but little used and was abandoned in 1837. No appropriation having been made for its main- tenance it fell into ruin. The wooden gates with which the locks were equipped soon decayed, rains and floods played havoc with the embankments, and Canal and River at Mus, Railroad Used in Maintenance Wo the channel filled with mud, supporting a flourishing growth of willows and cottonwoods. Such was its condition in 1871 when, recognizing the importance of opening the Tennessee River to navigation, the Federal Government caused surveys to be made for its reconstruction, providing a canal 14' J miles long with 9 locks, having a combined "lift" of 85 ft. At the same time a canal I '2 miles separate lockages, and ordinarily, would not be able to cover the 24-mile stretch at Muscle Shoals in less than 28 days. 18 hours, provided the water remained at a stage sufficiently high to permit navigation at all I'M. It is needless to add that the canal was not designed to accommodate this class of navigation. Small wonder, then, is it that the traffic through the canal averages only I 1 .800 tons per year, while hundreds of thousands of tons move on the river above and below it! (Diag. 20, p. 21) Penetrating as it does into the very heart of the richest un- developed region in America, the Tennessee River forms the natural outlet for heavy freight in great variety. In this region we find, in the words of the late Senator Morgan: " * * * vast areas of the most productive soils, yielding enormous crops of food, cereals and textiles, fruits and grapes; and forests that are almost primeval and include all the varieties of trees that grow in the Temperate Zones: vast beds of coal and of iron. zinc, lead and copper ores, and rich veins of gold: great quarries of marble that excel those of Italy in texture and in the OPENING AN IN LAND EMPIRE THE SMALL RIVER STEAMER FOR WHICH THE PRESENT MUSCI I SHOALS CANAL LS ADAPTED * "iHRU CANAL ,K \l< ■ long with two locks was planned for Elk River Shoals. 8 miles upstream, but Nances Reef and Lit- '"'s t^p" °f ^"^'^ ""i" tie Muscle Shoals were not provided for at all. The building of the two waterways, known as the Muscle Shoals Canal, was begun in I 873 and only par- tially completed in 1890 ('■,,,. I but the full work as planned has never been carried out. The Muscle Shoals Canal (Photos, pp. 22. 24. 2? and 50) was planned before the days of powerful tug boats and their huge consorts of barges. It is adapted to the typical river steamer of light draft. (Photo, p. 23) which can make the eleven lockages and pass the canal in about II ' ;■ h water I'M. THE TUG AND RAFT OF BARGES IN USE ON THE OHIO RIVER FOR WHICH THE PRESENT MUSCLE SHOALS CANAL SHOULD BE ADAPTED THIS TYPE OF CHAFF »OULD REQUIRE 28 DAYS, 1 8 HOUR.S FOR P Y5S1 Nl, THRUCA~M (71) varieties of beautiful coloring, and all of the slates and rocks that are useful and beautiful in architecture, while the hills are crowned with the plumes of stately pine forests that never fade nor fall" ''•■ ,'. More than 13.000 miles of navigable streams spread as a network over the great central valleys of the United States and form the most extensive and important body of navigable waters in the world (■■ ,,'. iMap22.p 26i On their banks are thriving s during periods of high cities and towns numbered by the thousands, but these markets, so cheaply reached from Ohio River points. A fleet of 60 coal barges and tug such as is in daily use on the Ohio. (Photo, p. 2i) would require 671 are effectively shut off from the upper Tennessee and Its rich territory by the rapids at Muscle Shoals. The necessity for adequate navigation structures at these shoals is not to be measured by the two milhon tons of freight valued at fifty million dollars, which move on the Tennessee River annually. Far less is it to be measured by the 12,000 tons which annually make their way through the inadequate Were our suburban electric lines, carrymg their millions of passengers daily, constructed because millions of persons living in outlying districts de- manded that these lines be built? Does a modern railway system extend its line into a vast wilderness because of the large volume of freight coming out of that wilderness by wagon? Of course not. Public carriers develop their traffic after their lines have been constructed into territories where possibilities of traffic exist. Business is found where the best service at least cost is offered. To this well-known economic principle our river transportation offers no excep- tion. Would our Government develop a great commerce on the Tennessee River where the possibilities are so great? Then proper facilities must be provided. We can no more expect to develop commerce and call into useful service the dormant wealth of the up- per Tennessee Valley while using the present forty-live-year-old canal facil- ities at Muscle Shoals, than can a modern railroad system expect to grow and thrive while continuing to operate with 50-lb. rails and the diminutive cars and wood-burning locomotives of 1870. And commerce will not come to the river, and attempt to make use of PANORAMA OF TENNESSEE RIVER navigation facilities that do not exist, any more than people will flock to the suburbs and build homes before a means of suitable transportation is provided. We must make com- merce practicable along modern lines before we can expect to have it. Recognizing these well-known PRIVATE IMPROrE- f^^^^ ^^e people have met the MENTS Government far more than half-way. Where in America has private enterprise expended more for navigation improvements than has been appropriated by the Government? Yet such is the case on the Tennessee River. Second only to Muscle Shoals, the rapids at Hales Bar had long been an impassable obstacle to navigation. Citizens of Chattanooga improved Hales Bar for power and nav- igation at a cost of over $1 1 .000.000. practically with- out expense to the Government. (Photo, p. 33) AT SITE OF DAM NUMBER TWO This important benefit to navigation leaves only Muscle Shoals to be elimi- nated to make the Tennessee navigable to its mouth: and the great dam at Hales Bar. deprived of its real value to navigation so long as Muscle Shoals remains unimproved, stands as a challenge to our Government to meet its citizens half-way and provide the facilities which will enable Hales Bar Dam to render in full measure the service for which it was built. The Ohio and Tennessee are twin streams in many ways. They rise close together in the same range of mountains and their upper tributaries flow thru the same coal and iron fields, and thru the same vast forests. The streams are similar in that they are of equal volume at Paducah. Ky.. where they unite, while the volume of the flow in the Tennessee River at Knoxville is twice as great as that of the Ohio at Pittsburgh, it is therefore evident, that, from an engineering standpoint, the 9 ft. channel provided for the Ohio River is practicable for Tennessee River also !'■ i.-.n. ■..■)■ (Diag. 21 , p. 25) The distance from these important mines, forests THE SHORTER WATER ROUTE DRAIN.AGE ARE.A OF THE CHIC RI\'ER l)l< \I:|al.I-, .f\l APPROPRIAllONS FOR THE OHIO RIVER Airixoi'Ki \ii(:\.-5 loK iiiF ii-t\\fx-.e: ri\ li flOlOOOOOO S2oJoOO.OOO ^)o)oOO,000 ?40JOOOOOO 5S0 000000 $60,1000,000 S70juOO AI^PROPRI.xriONS PER SQU,\RE MIFF, OHIO RIVER FWi . (89.A 5; 67, 15. 42) and agricultural districts to any of the thousands of river points west of Paducah. is shorter by way of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers than via the Ohio River by several hundred miles (• ''Appendix E). But these facts have long been known, and we men- tion them here simply to point out the significance from a standpoint of navigation interests, that at- taches to the improvement of Muscle Shoals. The Board of Engineer officers directed "to consider and report on combined improvement of the Tennessee River at Muscle Shoals for navigation and water power development" reported that the cost of the improvement at Muscle Shoals properly charge- able to navigation had been estimated at $8,575,000, and stated that — OFFICIAL IVEIF OF "The existing commerce of SITUATION the section as well as the in- crease which might reasonably be expected apart from what may be created as a result of the power development, is insufficient to justify so great an expenditure for improvements for navigation alone. But. in determining the worthiness of the project, there are other criteria that should be considered. It is known that the section of the United States lying within a moderate distance of the Muscle Shoals reach of the Tennessee, is in a state of retard- ed development. It is endowed with mineral, forest and agricul- tural resources which, when fully exploited, will add greatly to the general prosperity. It is the be- lief and expectation of those inter- ested in this project that the de- velopment and utilization of the power now wasting in the Ten- nessee River will cause the estab- lishment of manufacturing indus- tries which will utilize the raw materials found in the immediate vicinity. .1 l<\\ I "For example, with electric power provided at low cost, metallurgical processes can be employed in the reduction of ore deposits of the region other- wise unavailable for use. Further, that the fertil- izers needed for the profitable production of cotton and now brought from great distances, can be made at low cost in the close neighborhood of the fields in which it is to be used.'f * * * * "The board therefore reports that in its opin- ion it is advisable for the United States to adopt the project." etc.. ( " .,;,.). Here then is the official view of the situation; Mus- cle Shoals presents an obstacle which can be adequately overcome only at an expense greater than present and anticipated navigation will justify — but when coupled with an industrial development that means cheaper fertilizer and reduced expenses to the American people, the improvement becomes worth while, and the cause of navigation on the Tennessee is given a tremendous tThe .tal.cs are ours impetus by its inseparable association with the great source of cheap waterpower that public safety and national economy demand should be developed at Muscle Shoals. Were there no navigation interests to be served, and no rich empire, half the size of England, to be brought into greatly increased productivity . still Muscle Shoals would offer a site incomparable for the working out of this great defensive and economic undertaking. But when to this sound provision for national se- curity and powerful contribution to general pros- perity we add the opening to modern navigation of this great river, the placing in unrestricted commission of the magnificent improvements at Hales Bar and the development of a richly endowed but industrially retarded section, then we are able to realize in a meas- ure what nation-wide benefits will follow the estab- lishment of this great nitrate plant at Muscle Shoals. / ^^''' \ REFRIGEBATI N / --..._.____^ / \ 19^ / CHLMKl'XL ^~/ / INDUSTRIES / / ^^''"' / Pa 1*1 FWo Phantom Opponent ' " '■" VNIMC^V'"'"' '""■"■' ' 1 '■• 1 1 = * i = E 1 i z Z i = ^ = E E — L ! ^4 GROmVI OK AMMONIA CONSUMPTION IN THE 1 1 ^MURIrWRrinitERATlONINRLSTRViloll | Turning the Searchlight Upon the Possibilities of By-Product Coke Oven Production THE PURPOSES OF CONGRESS SHALL WE as a nation place our reliance in by-product coke ovens for our coun- try s supply of nitrogen in peace and in war? Congress declares NO! And there are few who have studied this subject which so vitally concerns the American people who will not agree with this deci- sion. When that body voted twenty million dollars to establish a nitrate plant and placed the selection of a site in the hands of the President, the principal purposes which they desired to accomplish might be stated as follows: First. — To cheapen our food supply by in- creasing its production through the agency of a low-priced, effective nitrogenous fertilizer. Second. -To provide an adequate, controll- able and economical, in short a suitable source of nitric acid for military use without closing our chemical plants, indispensable in war as well as in peace. Third.- -To make certain that this source of nitrogen supply will be properly located with es- pecial reference to economical production and distribution in times of peace and to adequate pro- tection in time of war. Why. then, can we not depend for our supply of nitrogen upon the ammonia produced as a so- d "by-product" in the coking of coal? WHY BY-PRODUCT AMMONIA FAILS First — Because it cannot cheapen our food supply. For. to reduce the cost of foodstuffs we must have much larger crops with the same labor, a requirement which demands large amounts of fertilizer. If we are to use materially larger amounts of fertilizer then we must encourage its extended application by mak- ing it much cheaper to the farmer. No argument is needed to support the statement that the cheaper the fertilizer, the greater the profits in Its use. and therefore the greater will be the con- sumption. A glance at Map 39 (page 43) shows that in the far greater portion of our country no fertilizers are being used at all. From every quarter comes the demand for a reduction in the cost of living, which means more crops on the same land, or in other vi'ords. cheaper fertilizer. And what is the reply of the coke oven adherents to the demand for cheaper fertilizer? In the words of one widely experienced, who has contracted for and installed the largest and most important by- product operations in the United States, including those for the United States Steel Corporation: "The by-product coke oven, in order to he worth while, must operate 365 days in the year and sell all of its by-products at a round market price."* This point of view presents the coke oven industry in a new light for it is thus made evident that this "by-product" ammonia is not a by-product at all. but is one of the several principal products which the operators of the misnamed "by-product oven" must produce and sell at a "round market price" to make their enterprise profitable. (Diag. 29, p. 3 1 ) As will appear, this is especially true with respect to that product in which we are interested — ammonia, which is approximately 82 per cent nitrogen. BY-PRODUCT .AMMO. '" further support of the asser- Nl,4 .4 COSTLY tion that the so-called by-pro- PRODUCT duct ammonia is not a low- priced product we have the statement of a well-known authority on by-product coke ovens who says I > .1 : "The cost of coking by the recovery method is greater than by the old method and the plant cost is a large item, so that it is essential to the continued progress of this business that the prices received for by-products be maintained at approxi- mately their present level." Even with products at /"x /\ $2.11111 $2.'3(KI ,$7(10 $'l(lll t >.,n.,n,irl L ; V } Arc iv Bi -Pbodl f-T Ammon A IS Not » NFr :e One Ton D Fe » Year B r Sever AL Process normal prices the large amount of capital m- volved has prevented the rapid growth of the industry. " It is therefore evident that the business of pro- ducing by-product ammonia cannot prosper unless the present prohibitive prices of ammonia fertilizer be maintained. Then too, the by-product coke oven mdustry has appeared in Washington with the declaration that: "Of the by-products recovered, the ammonia is the one yielding the bulk of the return, ll is therefore of paramount importance to the continued growth of this industry that the selling price of this product be maintained somewhere near its normal ten-year average price"* {=**; s). What chance is there for the farmer to secure a lower-priced, effective fertilizer from such a source? These candid statements are further confirmed by certain studies made for the installation of by-product ovens in Alabama. The advantage to be had from the saving of by-products as compared with their loss in the old-style bee-hive ovens was represented in this case by an estimated income of Myi cents from the by-products from each net ton of coal. Of this sum of 84^2 cents, 35 cents was to be secured from ammonia alone, which was to be sold as sulphate of ammonia at $35.00 per ton at the plant. The average selling price of sulphate of ammonia throughout the country in 1914 was $54,00 per ton ( ' ,i. The use of a by-product oven costing $1,100 to $1,200 per ton of coke made daily (Photo, p. 28) to replace the bee-hive oven costing correspondingly $180 (Photo, p. 29). can be justified only when a large return is to be had from the resulting by-products. Certainly it is therefore hopeless to expect a sub- stantial reduction in price on that part of the by- product which furnishes two-thirds of the total return, unless the by-product oven industry is forced to meet the competition of atmospheric nitrogen. As a source of both ammonia and nitric acid the coke oven process results in a high-priced product. One explanation of this is found in the amount of in- vestment required in connection with the by-product oven as a source of nitric acid. Figure 26, page 30 shows at a glance the comparison between the several processes as regards the investment per annual ton of concentrated nitric acid produced. It should be noticed that of the four processes for which data are given, three, the Cyanamid, Haber and Arc. are methods employed for the fixation of atmos- pheric nitrogen. These processes have had their greatest development in Germany. Norway and Italy, the only industry of this character on our side of the THE IMPORTANCE OF A LOW PRICE Atlantic being a Cyanamid plant located on the Cana- dian side of Niagara Falls. Price is the crucial point of the whole matter. The testimony of the by-product ovens' own champions shows conclusively that they must keep up their prices. Their active opposition to the develop- ment of Muscle Shoals seems to confirm it. We want this great national blessing of multiplied crop yields and national protection through the use of cheap nitrogen. We want nitrogen at such a price that we can profitably double its application on present fertil- ized lands, and profitably introduce its universal use on the unfertilized cereal crops which constitute 60 per cent of the country's cultivated acreage (",,). thereby regaining our position as the world's granary and effecting a reduction in the high cost of living to be felt by the very least among our people. The by- product oven offers no means of securing such a price and therefore cannot meet the requirements of the situation. Second.— In time of war wc cannot depend upon the hy-product coke oven for our military supply of nitrogen, for, even if we tak,e the expansive promises of the by-product oven people at their full face value. {Diag. 28. p. 31) involving the assumption that the in- crease in capacity of American by-product cok.e ovens within the next two years Will equal their growth in out- put during the past twelve years, even then this source of supply would prove to be utterly inadequate to meet the war-time needs of America's private chemical indus- tries alone, to say nothing of the Government demand. In support of this statement we have undertaken to make a careful analysis (Table 11, p. 41) of our country's future need of nitrogen and its probable production. The facts employed are those published by the most reliable authorities on the subject. (Ref's. page 63) We assume that future re- quirements will amount only to our present con- sumption plus the normal annual growth prior to the war. This leads us to estimate America s nitrogen needs at too small rather than too large a figure since the rate of increase grows \\'ith every passing vear. OUR COUNTRY'S NEED FOR NITROGEN ,._J 1 i 1 1 i i 1 f 1 i i 1 1 1 1 i - 5 j- ; 5 :s 1 5 1 .-,; ''" *■■■- '"■ -,■: 1 50 ll*¥) g ?«,m £i =r KKXi ST~!7 Zo^ ^ y#" ^'^s^J ^'' .s-t •-(Hll.l ^ vvV-; — 'i4_ "^ 3i3z THE ENORMOUS SHORTAGE The results of this analysis have been tabulated (p. 41) and show that should our im- ports and exports he cut off by the enemy there would be an annual shortage of 241 .520 tons of nitrogen even after there had been used the promised 77,200 tons from the by-product ovens and after all other avail- able sources of nitrogen had been exhausted. (Diag. 25. p. 29) The analysis shows further that simply the require- ments of the refrigeration and chemical industries in- cluding the manufacture of explosives by Government and private plants would amount to 25 I .220 tons of ni- trogen. The chemical industry can use nitrogen only in the inorganic forms such as nitrate of soda, by-product oven ammonia and calcium cyanamid. (Table I , p 32) It is important to notice that the great production of cottonseed meal, blood, tankage, etc.. being inorganic PITCH 50.000 Lbs. CREOSOTE OIL 50.000 Lbs. BENZOL 2( ),()()() Lbs. . I HUM Bi-PnouuLi l.40UToN^o,--roAi. (58 2) Table I. Consumption of Inorganic Nitrogen in U. S. for year ending June 30, 1916. ('") Chemical Industries — Nitrate of Soda 1 56,000 tons Coke oven Ammonia 21,500 tons 177,500 tons Refrigeration Industry Coke oven Ammonia 12,360 tons Total Inorganic Nitrogen used 189,860 tons ammoniates, are of no use in the chemical in- dustries, and hence could not be diverted from use as fertilizer to furnish nitrogen for explosives in time of war. The experience through which Germany is passing is pertinent to this discussion. Ninety-five per cent of all coke made in Germany is produced with the recovery of the by- products. Diagram 32 (p. 41) shows that Germany's produc- sults of the desperate efforts of the most efficient nation in the world. Our present supplies of nitrate of soda and cyana- mid are wholly and entirely imported, and might be shut off completely m time of war. Therefore we face the significant fact that under war-time condi- tions were we deprived of our imports and exports we could secure nitrogen for explosives and other chemical uses from but the one source — namely, the by-product oven, unless the air nitrogen industry had been previously established in the United States. Note the present rapid increase in the use of by- tion of coke has fallen off 18 per cent since the be- ginning of the war. In the most perilous period of her national existence, seeking a supply of nitrogen to meet a demand hitherto unheard of in the world's history. Germany has turned not to the coke ovens, but away from them and has staked her all upon the atmosphere fixation processes in which she has invested more than one hundred million dollars in the past two years. These are the facts which should count with us no theory here — no assumption — but the actual re- product ammonia in such vitally important indus- tries as refrigeration and chemical plants (Diags. 23 and 24, p. 28). Could we permit our food sup- plies to perish for lack of ammonia for ice-making? Could we permit our chemical industries to be- come paralyzed at a time when we need them the most? What sort of patriotism is it that would commit our country to the suicidal policy of relying upon a single source of nitrogen so grossly inadequate as the by- product coke oven? Third. — In placing the choice of a site in the hands of the President. Congress intended to make sure that our source of military nitrate supply would he located where it would be safe in time of war. The war college defined the safety area of the United States when they established the line shown in red on the map onpage 30. Thearea m SAFETY ZONE OF THE WAR COLLEGE ■^ n g ii 1 1 " [_::—== ^-A A ^ — ■ z «< — — — ^=H r- \ / \ / '^ - a 1 _..——-:X^-~--^-''-''~' >- o !? 440 ^ 1 ,6-,E^ <^*^^ '"'L-i— -"— ^^' ■ i" ■^ -t 440 o ' aao __^_=== [— — i™ ^-— -^u=^— ^ -rrrrrr:. .. S •=•■■. I [ 2 I i NOTE: Since the above reproduction of the drawings (shown in H. R. Doc. 20, 63rd Cong., 2nd Sess.) was made, a new set of drawings has been pubHshed after further investigation by U. S. Government Engineers at a cost of $150,000. (H. R. Doc. 1262, 64th Cong., 1st Sess.). In these drawmgs the normal elevation of the upper pool formed by Dam No. I is fixed at 410.5. The normal level of the pool above Dams Nos. 2 and 3 remains unchanged. Locks and other structures have been designed with a view to providing for 6-foot navigation and a possible subsequent increase m project depth to 9 feet. (51 ,' Plates 33. 35, 46: 5 1 ,21) ; 30. GENERAL PLAN AND PROFILE OF MUSCLE SHOALS IMPROVEMENTS. (51/Piates G-2, G-3, G-4) 31. POTENTIAL WATER POWER MAP OF THE UNITED STATES (64/Map-, 49/164-170; 5l/PI«tt III ^ITED STATES (64/Map; 49/164-170; 51/Plate lllj "ZZm^'^^^ii FRODUICTION IN TIMF. OF PKlACF FIRST YEAR OF \XAR SECOND ^•E.4R OF wAr white is that zone within which all plants for military purposes supported by public funds must hereafter be built. The black discs show that fully 85 per cent of the by-product coke oven plants of this country are to he found within the danger area. We have seen that our present available nat- ural resources are located outside of this area to a very large extent. (Appendix Map) We have observed with concern that our munitions plants. our steel mills, our blast furnaces and many of our most important deposits of raw materials are in the danger zone, and to a large extent these vital industries not only are located in exposed territory, but are so con- centrated within It as to make the isolation of a part of our Atlantic States a matter of most serious con- cern to the country. Shall we further increase the national danger by producing the first requisite of war. nitric acid, within an area subject to enemy attack? When we consider safety of construction, the photograph of a typical by-product oven plant (p. 28) shows how vulnerable to attack is the group of brick and sheet iron structures which constitute a by-prod- uct oven. How small a bomb could utterly demolish such structures! Andrew Carnegie says. "Put all your eggs into one basket and watch that basket. One large air-nitro- gen plant built of mass've reinforced concrete in a protected district is certainly more easily defended than a number of small plants of light construction scattered over the country in exposed locations from Chicago to Birmingham. Calcium cyanamid can be economically shipped long distances, so that if this process were adopted and the final oxydizing step omitted at the central plant, this operation could be performed in as many small ox\'diz- ing plants as considered expedient for military needs, so that the advantages of local production of nitric acid are readily obtainable under the atmospheric fixation plan. The by-product coke ovens have their place in any scheme of preparedness, and mark an important improvement over the old bee-hive oven, but they do not constitute that big. adequate source of supply which should be at the ready command of Uncle Sam's defensive forces. Table II. Requirements and Supply of Nitrogen in the United States in 1914 and Estimate of Same in Event of War Early in 1918. (See special list, page 63. for references.) Nitrogen Requirements of United States — Net Tons Nitrogen — 1914 1918 (est.) Feed— Cottonseed Meal 63.500 (10) 67.000 (//) Other Organic Ammonia 8,000 (/.') 14.000 (/3) Fertilizers - Cottonseed Meal 54,400 (/O) 56,500 (//) Other Organic Ammonia 61,350 (/•/) 75,750 (/•#) Inorganic- 37.750 (/6) Nitrate of Soda 40.600 (/5) Sulphate o( Ammonia 30.900 (/5) Cyanam.d Ammonia 4.500 ( 3 ) Refrigeration — Ammonia 10,450 (/7) 14.820 (/8) Chemical Industries — As Ammonia 14,700 (/9) 25.400(20) As Nitric Acid . 60,600(2/) 156.000(22) Govt. Military Explosives 55.000 (23) Domestic Consumption 349.000 502,220 Exports. Cottonseed Meal 45,600 {24) Total Requirements 394,600 502,220 Nitrogen Supply of United States — Net Tons Nitrogen — Domestu Production : 1914 1918 {est.) Cottonseed Meal 163.500 (/) 123.500(2) Other Organic Ammoniates 53.700 (3) 60.000 (-#) Sulphate of Ammonia 37,700 (5) 77,200 (6) Total Domestic Production .. .254.900 260.700 Nitrate of Soda 101.200 (7) Sulphate of Ammonia 18,350 (S) Organic Ammoniates 1 5,650 (9) Cyanamid 4,500 (3) Shortage 241.520 Total Supply 394.600 502.220 U. S. (I-A 411-414. 57) PaH' Six TheOffei-ir^ -^outh What Muscle Shoals Supplies to Meet the Needs of the Nitrate Plant m Time of Peace A NEGLECTED SECTION "Go West, young man, " said Horace Greely — and the young man went. Not singly nor by the hundreds did he go, but by the tens of thousands. Occasionally those who took the long westward journey were brilliantly successful, far oftener they were bit- terly disappointed, but there in the West they were, and there they generally remained, and thus that section of the country developed. Stricken by war and poverty, the South had few champions to present its claims in competition with the tempting offers of the golden West, and so the the great natural wealth of this section neglected and almost unknown. Thus it happens that the richest undeveloped region in Uncle Sam's domain is located, not in the far West, nor in uttermost Alaska, but within that great populous section which stretches from the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers on the north and west to the coasts of the Atlantic and Gulf. Herein, as we shall see, is a greater variety of Nature's treasures than is to be found anywhere else in our land. Here the electro-chemical industries can find, in close association, an abundant supply of water broad wave of development that swept westward power together with all of those contributing factors during the closing decades of the last century left which make for industrial success and supremacy. Foremost among the water- powers of this great territory, surrounded by the potential wealth of mine, field and forest is the Niagara of the South Muscle Shoals. Simply to state the con- ditions and to review the facts is to demonstrate that here is the one site for the Government ni- trate plant, capable of meeting the requirements in every particular. WHATTHE Summing up SITE SHOULD ^^'^ requirements SUPPLY of the site that is to produce huge supplies of cheap and high grade fertilizer in times of peace, we have: 1. Power: 200,000 horse- power which must be avail- able for **0 per cent of the time throughout each 36. Some Products of the South (60 48. ^0) :z;-f^is^> :s;^::<:^ ^s;s^?^?-liSEg5g^g---^^'^^^ ^i ^^ ^ms^^-m- year, to cost not more than S5 to SIO per horse- power year, if we are to produce at home in successful competition witli Norway, where water power is avaihible at Si to S5 per horse- power year. 2. Raw Materials : Practically unlimited supplies of the following necessary materials close at hand, viz.: ill Pure limestone; i2i Coking coal; i3i Phosphate rock. i. Central Location: A site that is central with respect to the great fertilizer consuming districts of the country which are its natural markets, and favorably situated with respect to transportation. IIO'l (17 1'>R) 4. Contented Labor: An abundance of low- priced, suitable, contented labor. 5. Mild Climate: A climate that will tend to make the cost of living low, and that will prevent delays and damage due to anchor ice in the penstocks of the power plant. To what extent, then, is the site at Muscle Shoals able to meet the above requirements, located as it is m the very heart of that rich, undeveloped region — the South? viiater which occasionally occur, for in the case of greatly increased demand beyond all expectations, nearby streams, or the upper tributaries of the Ten- nessee River could furnish reservoirs from which could be drawn ample power to tide over the driest periods which have occurred in the forty-four years during which the records have been kept. Diagram 31 (p. 53) shows the relation between these reinforce- ments and the main run-of-river power at the Shoals. Notice that the diagram shows 24-hour power only. If commercial power be considered then 680.000 horsepower can be developed i- '. an amount greater by 105.000 horse power than that of the combined developments on the Canadian and American sides at Niagara Falls i " i,,,). The engineers of the War Department have reported that to produce the energy which is now running to waste over Muscle Shoals would require over a THE POWER SITE ■ , PRE-EMINENT "°" ^^ ^ greatelec- tro-chemical plant manufac- turing fertilizer the site at Mus- cle Shoals presents notable qualifications and advantages. In the vast territory east of the Mississippi, wherein is consumed practically all of the commercial fertilizer used in the United States. (Map 39, p 43) the greatest potential waterpower center, barring only Niagara Falls, is Muscle Shoals on the Tennessee River. (Diag. 34. p. 42) Engineering estimates based on extensive surveys and an exhaustive analysis by United States Gov- ernment engineers of the power demand of the region, give over 600,000 horsepower as the prac- ticable capacity of the generating plant that may be million tons of coal converted into steam or gas power annually, and if the enormous reservoir sites on the Tallapoosa and Little Rivers, or on the upper waters of the Tennessee, be used to reinforce the run-of-river power at the Shoals during the occasional brief periods of low water, which occur during the placed at Muscle Shoals, of which 280,000 horsepower summer months, then no less than 1 ,663,000 tons of would be capable of continuous operation every day coal per year would be needed to produce the of the year, (Diag. 31, p. 55) amount of At Muscle Shoals the consumers of electric power him who need never be limited by the short periods of low 34 p 59) ergy which these running waters offer to ill make use of them ( ' .„). (Diagram jms^^m;^m^m.^ms^^i^?'nm^'smmL R.W' M.-ITERIALS FOR FERTILIZER Reference to Map 40 (p. 43) shows clearly that the neces- sary combination of adequate waterpower and raw materials for fertilizer manufac- ture, exists in but one location -Muscle Shoals. Only injthis section of the country can be found a commercial production of the three necessary ma- terials- limestone, coking coal and phosphate rock — all withm a radius of one hundred miles. I. Limestone; The bluffs along the river ([-"hotos. pp. 47-48) are composed of a limestone remarkable for its purity. Samples taken from a nearby quarry showed the following analysis: Carbonate of lime Carbonate of magnesia Oxide of iron and alumina Silica Moisture, etc 98.17', 0.97'; 0.30'; 0.49ff 0.07^c j \/ -- ^ 7^^^-. rS^ ■-.f " V ," ". '"'>.« o.r:c^; \ ^ \ ^_V^^- '■'' *) !>~^\ IV E S. --[^^J^' H, V "-^■^ \\ 1909 (-H 81. 37 2) 100.00'; Three other samples from different locations showed an analysis of carbonate of lime differing from that given above by I to 2 per cent, or less. The facility with which this rock may be quarried and conveyed in barges to the fertilizer plant is shown by the photographs on pages 44 and 48. Dr. E. A. Smith. State Geologist of .'\labama. describing the limestones of his State i ,1 says: "In the northern part of the state this rock is 350 to 1.300 feet in thickness and covers a great area. * * * * f yj^^ purer portions of this limestone carry from 95 to 99 per cent carbonate of lime, but with the better quality of the rock, shales are often interstratified. ^ * * * IW) (J7 156) In our consideration of limestones as raw material for the manufacture of fertilizer we must take notice of an important division between them. The two classes are shown in Map 40. (p. 43) The areas shown in black dots are underlain by dolomite, which, while of great value as a flux for the blast furnace, and for other purposes, is not an economical material to use in the manufacture of electro-chemical fertil- izer. The areas shown in red dots, on the other hand, are underlain mainly by high-calcium limestone, containing little or no magnesia. This is the kind which is suitable for use in the electro-chemical manu- facture of fertilizer ('" ,„;), and it is this kind, of great purity, which is to be had in unlimited quantity and ZSHWIS i '" ^?": '' "' '"': '^::'Mi& S KLt:^S: ;^nr^^«- - Coal. Iron »nd R R Co . En5I favorably disposed for economic quarrying, at Muscle Shoals. 2. Coke: Referring again to Map 40 (p. 43). we notice that only small portions of the coal areas of the country are indicated (by the small red C's) as containing suitable material for cokmg. The trans- portation of coke or coking coal from the limited areas in which they originate to distant places of use. adds materially to the cost of using coke. For ex- ample, in the State of Illinois the average value of the 61,618.744 tons of coal produced in 1914 was $1.14 per ton I'* ,.,,) but the coke ovens of the State were obliged to use coal brought from Penn- sylvania and West Virginia, four parts of which were mixed with one part of Illinois coal to secure a material for satisfactory coking, and the 1,932,132 short tons of coal used in this way were valued at $2.82 per ton {'"• ,■..). an increase of 147 per cent over the value of the local coals. But the maker of coke in the Tennessee Valley needs no imported coal. Ninety miles from the site at Muscle Shoals lies the great coke producing dis- trict of Birmingham. Ala., second only to the Con- nellsville district of Pennsylvania, (see .Appendix Map) In the Biimingham district, although the de- velopment of the coal resources has hardly begun. sufficient facilities for coke making (some of which are shown in the photographs on pages 28 and 29) are at hand for producing coke in large volume, this district having produced, in round numbers, 3,084,000 tons of coke in 1914 ( '" „ ) so that the location of Muscle Shoals with respect to coke supply is all that could be desired, 3. Phosphate Rock: The third fundamental re- quirement in the manufacture of cheap high-grade fertilizer by modern electro-chemical means is a liberal supply of phosphate rock so located as to permit of economical mining and requiring a mini- mum outlay for transportation. Here, again, the location at Muscle Shoals proves Itself to be the site par-excellence. Phosphate rock is produced (m commercially im- portant quantities) in but five districts of the United States, (Appendix Map) Of these, one is in the far west in the heart of the rugged districts of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, far removed from centers of fertilizer consumption (District No. 3); a second lies on the Atlantic Coast in South Carolina (District No. 4). but the heavy overburden which must be re- moved in that district before the rock can be mined increases the cost to such a point that in general it does not pay to ship this phosphate (" ,.,). yr'/r vrr^y^/l'^'^'r^ There remain, then, in all the United States only the pebble and hard rock deposits of Florida and the deposits of Tennessee, which in large part are of the highest grade. The Tennessee deposits have their greatest de- velopment within 60 miles from Muscle Shoals, at Mt. Pleasant. Tenn.. the second largest producing district in the United States (Photos, pp. 44 and 58). Here is to be found a reserve of phosphate rock con- taining normally 70 to 72 per cent and as high as 80 per cent pure tricalcium phosphate (Ca iPOl ) in quantity variously estimated from 88 million I ,1 to 160 million ( .1 long tons, which is economically mined and washed. The value to Muscle Shoals of these enormous de- posits of phosphate rock right at hand needs only to be pointed out to be fully appreciated, a fact also true of the great supply of timber for construction and other purposes, which is readily available (Map 43. p. 46). In considering so bulky a ECONOMY OF j- r ■■■ , CENTRAL LOCATION commodity as fertilizer that site is best adapted for its manufacture, which offers a source of supply nearest to the centers of fertilizer consumption. The South is. above all things, an agricultural dis- trict. With an area of about one-third that of conti- nental United States (exclusive of Alaska) the South produces 62 per cent of all farm crops of the United States, exclusive of livestock, and 100 per cent of all our cotton. (Diag. 36. p. 42) In this warm, moist climate the vegetation grows luxuriantly and con- stant cropping soon exhausts the soil. The greatest fertilizer consuming district in America therefore, is an area in the South Atlantic States where it has become necessary to use fertilizer in order to produce a paying cotton crop. Map 39 (p. 43) reveals the significant fact that fully 50 per cent of America's fertilizers are consumed within 500 miles of Muscle Shoals, and a radius of 800 miles includes fully 80 per cent of our country s fertilizer consumption. The transportation facilities by rail are indicated, in part, by the network of principal railroads shown in black on the Appendix Map. while the system of some 13.000 miles of nav- igable waterways connecting with this site are shown in blue. (See also Map 22. p. 26.) It might be urged that Muscle Shoals lies too far to the southeast to be called a truly central location, but if we consult the Government's Statistical Atlas for 1914 we find (Map 38. p. 43) that Muscle Shoals lies within a circle of 300 miles radius which can truly be said to represent the heart of rural America. Inspection of the map shows that within this circle lie the centers of eight of those vital factors of national life by which, rather than by geography, our national center is fixed. '^3^rr:rrr'3^r:r- IMPORTANCE OF SUITABLE LABOR Abundant cheap and rea- sonably dependable labor is an important consideration in sucb specialized work as the electro-chemical manu- facture of fertilizer in which the various operations must be carried on continuously, day and night. sistent with fair living wages, for, as we have seen, if more general and profitable use is to be made of fer- tilizer. It must be produced much more cheaply than is possible at present. Moreover, as the plant is to provide for the needs of our army and navy in all emergencies, the labor should be of a lojal and de- The labor cost should be as 1 possible, con- pendable character. : MiuaiMftt T Makes. Cheaper LiviNci a.-^d LoutK-pRutL. Labor Po^.^ In both of these respects the South has a pecuUar advantage. In this section where the cHmate is mild (Map 45. p. 49) and living is cheaper than in the more rigorous latitudes, the workingman, white or colored, can live contentedly on less than in other sec- tions of the country. (Map 44. p. 49 and Map 42. p. 46) Freedom from the foreign element in all classes of population, in the central South (Map 52, p. 56) brings to our industries a welcome freedom from a certain undesirable class of foreign workmen, who, having no true conception of the spirit of our demo- cratic institutions, and lacking the inspiration of American patriotism, are a constant source of unrest and discontent. Map 45 (p. 49) shows the average January tem- peratures taken at 8 A. M. in various parts of the country. A moment's examination shows that to find a more genial climate we must go to one of three localities: The Pacific Coast, where the haul required is prohibitive; Southwest or Southeast Texas, where there is neither adequate power, phosphate rock, nor coke: or the coasts of the Atlantic and Gulf, where two or more of the necessary raw materials would have to be shipped. Here is abundance of power QUALIFICATIONS OF ui £ J 1 » ^u THE PREMIER SITE "P^'^'^ °^ development withm the necessary limit of cost : and the necessary raw materials, placed as by a Providen. tial hand to meet the great and growing needs of a great nation; here is the central location in the midst of the largest fertilizer con- suming district of .America and enjoying awater freight rate to the great distribu- ting points of the interior from St. Paul to New Or- leans and from Pittsburgh ADVANTAGES OF MILD CLIMATE The difference between mild and severe winters can be directly translated in terms of dollars and cents. To the laborer it means less ex- pense for fuel, and fewer re- quirements for himself and family in clothing. He can live in a house which costs less money and rents for less, and where the changes of temperature are not so severe there is frequently less need for the services of the doctor. To the hydro-electric operator a mild climate where the streams never freeze means freedom from condi- tions shown in the photograph of the Keokuk Dam on page 20. No ice jams block the penstocks or runways to the turbines with consequent delay and damage. Transmission lines are seldom severely taxed by heavy coats of sleet and transportation lines are never blocked by snowstorms. far up the Missouri, while a combination of river and , ocean steamers furnishes an all-water route to every seaport on the .Atlantic and an adequate system of rail lines brings this site into ready touch with north, east, south and west. Here is satisfactory labor in abundance, and a mild climate. Can another site throughout the length and breadth of the land comply so fully with every requirement? We think not. and we base our championship of Muscle Shoals on its exclusive merits, far-reaching and unques- tionable. Pa 1*1' Seven "~Oiir~ Tiationaf fesurohousel What Muscle Shoals and Adjacent Territory Offer to Meet the Needs of the Nitrate Plant m Time of War VARIED RESOURCES The Tennessee River is in OF THE TENNESSEE some respects a most unusual I' ALLEY stream. It flows both south and north, and it completely divides the State of that name into three distinct parts. It has its source in the majestic Alleghenies. while its lower reaches traverse the level alluvial valley of the Miss- issippi. It IS but natural that we should find a variety of nature's resources amid the widely varying conditions to be found in the valley of such a stream, yet the statement will be surprising to many that the Tennes- see Valley produces substantially every commercially important mineral to be found in America, while every crop mentioned in the census is to be found somewhere in the State of Tennessee. Of noteworthy importance is the fact that these raw resources of mine, field and forest are prepared for use in local industrial plants, and their products are available within a short dis- tance of Muscle Shoals. How then may a great power site in the heart of the Tennessee Valley meet the needs of our Govern- ment in time of war? Those plants which produce the defensive Co», Fields and Iron Ore Deposits in U S (9 Plate h II l»2) To Lat^esl Iron Production in U. S. Largest Pjrite Prod, in U. S.'Va. Disl. 565 Mi. / ^^ LarsZ^1anE«n<» Productionin U. S.^^l Lynchburg. Va. Dist. 485 Mi.^^^^ Coke Disl.ol-Tei Zinc Dist.ofTenn. 215 Mi. ''0--^i~^$\"''''K t^) O""^ r"Z ) BatytAoUt. of Tenn. l90Mi. Tann7T'ho,phite>0Mi'\V//iS>tVV^-7/, A D' ■ „f T.„„ 1 70 Ml — ^^ ' S. C. Manganese DUt. 290 M - :< Bir^inghamTAia. D:s.^.,90,Mi.V74^^^3XV V^'' ..Ov^t 100 Miles to Safely x( 3 j^"^/^^^ 135 Mi. / Line.-' / V_y ,VL/ / A;^ Gulf of / ^A Bauxite Dist. of [^ J Central Georgia U 315 M,. Florida Hard Rock Phosphate Dis 490 Mi. QUALIFICATIONS RE- QUIRED OF SITE equipment of a nation are to a country what its powder magazine is to a great battleship — its vital part. Without them, the nation lies a helpless prey to the modern invader and the heroism of a million men becomes of no avail against the enemy. We have seen that the essentials of a suitable site for a great nitrate plant to answer the defensive demands of the country may be summed up as follows: First. — A safe and central location. Second. — .\ large supply of continuous cheap, hydro-electric power sufficient for an initial demand of roundly 120,000 horse- power. Third. .\ plentiful supply of raw ma- terials close at hand for the manufacture of nitric acid. ^'■S?-?Ti2"1 A Feetilized Cotton Crop in Mrssissippi. 1914 Hales Bab Im 1 o ,-4C-"l^ I I I I I I I 1 1 I CJ Primary Power Ava.labl,. \%, 4^ UD Sc-condary Power Available ^'?. CD Primary Power Req'd by U Govlh.rN.trir AcidMtg, Fourth. Sufficient power and raw materials readily available for the manufacture of war munitions. Fifth. Favorable conditions with respect to labor and climate, and a local population of purely native Americans. In considerinsr the first re- ■i SAFE AND CENTRAL LOCATION qu'^ement. a safe and central location, a brief reference to the .Appendix Map shows that Muscle Shoals lies well within the safety area fixed by the War College. On an air line it is 370 miles (or farther than from Berlin to Pans) from the nearest foreign territory (Ontario) in which a possible enemy atro-station might be established. 430 miles from the nearest point on the Atlantic coast, and 313 miles from the nearest point (upper Mobile Bay) on the Gulf Coast. To capture Muscle Shoals from the north the nemy must conquer Ohio. Indiana and Tennes- I see: from the east he must cross the Appalachian Mountains and the states of Georgia and Ala- bama, and from the south he must pass the morasses of the Gulf Coast and cross the state of Alabama along its longest dimension. As to central location, it has been shown (p. 48) that Muscle Shoals lies within that circle of 300 miles radius which, from an agricultural standpoint, constitutes the very heart of the nation. (Diag. 38, p. 43) But from the military as well as from the agri- cultural viewpoint, the location of this site is strik- ingly favorable for economic distribution of nitric acid or other war material. In support of this statement we have prepared a location map of con- tinental United States, showing the government distributing points for war supplies for both army and navy, omitting all camps and headquarters of a probable temporary nature, and including certain forts and army posts not occupied at present, but available in case of war. Inspection of this map (page 34) shows that by far the greater number are located east of the Missis- sippi River, so that some 43 per cent of these army posts, arsenals and naval stations lie within a radius of 750 miles from Muscle Shoals. The second requirement calls for a supply of continuous power, to be available day and night, at all times of the year, to the extent of at least 120.000 horsepower. Diagram 31, page 33, shows the estimate of the Government engineers, prepared after an investiga- tion covering two years and costing $1 50.000. This examination was made by Asst. Eng. W. S. Winn, under direction of Maj, H. Burgess, and the report of the investigation was published in December, 1916. Reference to the diagram shows that the con- tinuous power which may be concentrated at Muscle Shoals IS not a bare 120,000 horsepower, the min- imum, but a generous 230.000 horsepower and the AN ABUNDANCE OF POWER A HEALTH OF NATL RAL RESOURCES ultimate commercial 24-hour power which may be installed there approximates half a million horse- power. The third requirement calls for a plentiful supply of raw materials close at hand, for the manufacture of nitric acid. In the electro-chemical method of taking nitrogen from the air. the making of nitric acid is but one step added to the manufacture of fertilizer. This step requires no other raw materials than steam and at- mospheric oxygen ("" ,.,), so we see that the site which so abundantly meets the needs of the fertilizer plant is capable of meeting every requirement in raw ma- terials, of the nitric acid plant as well. When we consider the fourth require- ment, namely, the necessary power and raw materials in usable form, for the manufacture of munitions of war. it has already been shown that Muscle Shoals has a tremendous reserve of power avail- able in this location, with possibilities of power development equal to the present development at Niagara Falls. Volumes might be written about the materials available, but space permits us only a brief mention of those requisites that are close at hand to Muscle Shoals. Cotton, the world s chief basis for the manufac- ture of modern explosives, is to be had in greatest abundance (see Diag. 46. p. 5 1 ; Map 53. p. 57. and Photo, p. 53). for. as we have seen. Muscle Shoals lies but I 75 miles from the center of the greatest cotton producing region in the world. Of the metals for war material there is an abun- dant and varied supply. Diagram 49. page 52. taken from the Appendix Map shows that the third greatest producing district in America in iron ores is but 90 Foreign Whjtes. and Native Whites of Foreign or Mixed PARENTA..t ,^ Tot,l Popve«tion (17 .^:£:Mia£riJ :;^^!»!!a;:iia»sg^wfiai^L 914 (48 3511 Sk. miles away at Birmingham. Here are blast furnaces, smelters and rolling mills (Photos, pp. 47 and 62). but more significant are the tremendous possibilities for iron and steel making which would be opened up by the large-scale production of cheap power at Muscle Shoals (Diag. 47. and Map 48. p. 51). Chief among the improvements in modern steel making stands that industrial giant, the electric fur- nace. High phosphorous or high sulphur content in iron ores are no obstacles to successful steel making where this powerful servant of civilization is em- ployed. I ) so that the Muscle Shoals country with its wealth of iron ore and its great supply of cheap electric power may be made to become the greatest center of iron and steel production in all America. But iron and steel, important as they are. supply but one spoke in the great wheel of production that has its hub at Muscle Shoals. (Diag. 49, p. 52) To the northeast. 170 miles distant, lie Ducktown and Copper Hill, the greatest copper producing district east of Arizona, excepting only the exposed mining district of northern Michigan. (Appendix Map) (Photos, pp. 18 and 60) Here is to be had sulphuric acid in abundance, made from the reclaimed fumes of the smelters. The zinc deposits of Tennessee are but 21 5 miles from the site to the northeastward, while the greatest zinc fields in .America, if not in the world, are to be found in the zinc district of southwestern Missouri. 390 miles to the northwest. Here an area of about 100 sq. miles produces 50 per cent of the zinc yield of the entire United States. Smelters in nearby states, at sites having water freight rates, furnish economical sources of supply of this important metal, the nearest being at Mascot. Tenn.. on the Tennessee River. 225 miles from Muscle Shoals. (Photos, pp. 61 and 62) Closely associated with zinc large amounts of lead are within easy reach. The production of this metal in the central and southeastern Missouri district. 320 miles to the northwest, (ranking second in lead pro- duction) was over 168.000 tons in 1914 r ,,). Aluminum ore. known as bauxite, claims an im- portant place in the making of modern munitions. The largest source of this ore in America is the famous .'\rkansas district. 270 miles westward from Muscle Shoals. This material now goes, in large part, to the great aluminum plant at Niagara Falls. The second largest producing district, 260 miles to the southeast, in Georgia, furnishes abundant supplies of ore to the important aluminum plant at Maryville, Tenn. (Photo, p. 58) but 220 miles from the Shoals. Important in the manufacture of those grades of steel used extensively for munitions, is manganese. The largest producing district of the metal is the Lynchburg district of Virginia, 483 miles from Muscle Shoals, where the ore runs as high as 33 per cent pure manganese. Deposits which rank low in present pro- duction and hence are not shown on the Appendix Map. are those of Cartersville. Georgia, 150 miles away, and Independence City, Arkansas, 300 miles dis- tant. The lat- ter is said by Dr. A. H. Pur- due. State Geol- ogist of Ten- nessee, to be the most im- ''',,',', 'i'' '^ portant reserve of manganese within convenient reach of Muscle Shoals ('■' ,i. For working steels a good flux is a prime necessity. Muscle Shoals is surrounded by limestone (shown in black lines and dots. App. Map) while the largest production of fluorspar in America is to be had in the Kentucky district 180 miles to the northward. (Diag. 49. p. 52) Another important element in the making of ex- plosives is caustic soda, the basis of which is common salt. This material is found in beds nearly two thous- and feet in thickness. 400 miles to the south in Louisi- ana, while at a distance of 390 miles is the salt pro- duction of Michigan, the largest in the United States. Sulphuric acid, an important factor in the mak- ing of explosives, is available in large quantities at Ducktown. 1 70 miles away, while sulphur and pyrite. the raw materials for making sulphuric acid, are available in great quantity. The largest deposit of sulphur in America, if not in the world, is found in Louisiana at a distance of 450 miles from Muscle Shoals. The shipments from this great deposit have reached 1.000 tons per day l'^*', ,i, and it is this de- posit which enables the South to dominate the world's sulphur market ('"/,, I. Pyrite is obtainable in great quantity in Virginia deposits of first rank, 365 miles from Muscle Shoals, while smaller supplies are available in Cherokee and Carroll Counties. Georgia, at a distance of 163 miles. Barytei for the manufacture of fertilizers, of paints, rubber, paper, and cloth i '* ,. I is also avail- able in large amounts in the Washington County district of Missouri at a distance of 280 miles from Muscle Shoals, this district producing about 63 per cent of our domestic output. (Diag. 49. p. 52) In the construction of a plant of such magnitude as that required by the government Portland cement is an important consideration. Dr. Purdue points out that the nearest Portland cement plant is at Richard City, on the Tennessee River, about 1 50 miles from the Shoals; other plants are found at Kingsport. Tenn.. and in Alabama and Georgia. Should a nearer local lant appear desirable, there is an abundance of limestone and shale nearby to supply the material ("',). An important IT.ARY HICmV.AYS ' ' ^ "> '" 'his development is the supply of road material. Dr. Purdue states: •To the lay- man tt is a nat- ural supposition that first-class military high- ways would be constructed cen- tering at a mu- nitions plant of the United States wherever It should be lo- Muscle Shoals southward through Alaba- ma well toward the Gulf and ard and eastward ough Tennessee and Kentucky there is road material [sisting of limestone, chert or gravel on almost every e of the distance From the Ohio River northward ds could easily be constructed by the use of limestone .t is accessible in many places, and the glacial gravels widely distributed over the northern states. West- rd across portions of western Tennessee and eastern i the central Arka abundance- of fir; the gn pla aterial. In brief, it may be seen that the combination of such a variety of essential resources is not to be found within so limited an area anywhere else in the land, and when it is considered that in the midst of this abun- dance and variety is a power site second only to Niag- ara Falls among the eastern waterpowers. then, and only then, can be comprehended the tremendous possi- bilities that await the command of our President at Muscle Shoals. " I ' ^^'"'■l^M^u«■; 1 u, i '", '".C]i '■z'is&rr """^ — iSf'-'C*: cnlilled "The Gas Commerce, rele.se Doc. 83. 59th Co see River." of the Coramissic Lockages at V Total ug and 60 bar. 1 of the Census: Dept I 14. 1912. ■d Yearbook. , 22 locka. 1 30 n I 18 hr. affic) 10 round trips at 23 hrs-28 i. ■ canal, of course, was not designed for this t i'a't?'f'urnish'ed''bv''Dept of Commerce. Wash.. D. C. entitled "Waterpower Development." by Gano Dunn. Tran^ m Inst. E, E,. May. 1916 I Appendix Mai Statistical Absl Proceedings of Bri t of U, S . , for Advan of Co. t of Sci and Labo 1914. . Chemistry of Commerce c 257. 63rd Cong . 2nd Sess- s before Committee on Agriculture. H, R. 64th Congress. Session, on Agriculture Appropriation Bill. Wednesday. Feb. 9. 1916. Elec . Steel Indust 7. 1915 rys P ese ™t St tus. an 11 S Dept of Con Hi of the C Pro, csive Farme issue of uly 4th. 1914 ng before Cor ary AHa 1st Session, on Bill t n In Efficien ment of U. S. Feb. 9 Id 1 . 1916, Hear ng before Cor nmitte c on Mill .ry Atfa ullel 131. . H. R. 64th Congress of Military Establish . H. R. 64th Congress St Session, on Bill to Increase Efficiency of Military Establish nent of U. S.. Feb. I I and 28. 1916, ng before Committee on Military Affairs. H. R. 64th C of Mil ■ Esta Se . the Ja n an HVer 1916 he arings befor e Cor nmittee an Milita Altai Jan.. s: a 1916 so Co 1 Rec ord fc r hv beginn 1 e tter fro m Se cy, ol Agric lit re. tr ansmi Report Situ n the II S to Pre, ol S with olution rl. ted |> n. 26 1916 H R Do Z81 60th Cong- Is on; •Exa •nination tional Defense." a speech by Hoi in U. S. Senate. March 30. 1916. led by Te .od ol Ala Govt. Records and published in Souvenir Handbook. May. 1915. Production et Consoromation des Engrais Chimiques dans ' " ' Published by International Institute ol Agriculture. R( Based on article in Literary Digest. June 5. 1916. p. 1326. From map published in Literary Digest. May 13. 1916. Paper entitled "Niagara Falls Power and American Indus I, R. Edmands at the 29th General Meeting of the American ,-. Wash-. D. C April 27-29. 1916,