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Show EXPLAINS SHOALS PROJECT Muscle Shoals one of the grea est hydroelectric power development projects pro-jects in the world, cnnnot he tnrne': over to the succes ful bidder vose identity, it is expected, will be k;ioii in the next few days before October, Octo-ber, 1925. The plant now under construction by the United States government, on the Tennessee River, just north of Sheffield, Ala., will he completed by that time, Major Max C. Taylor, second in charge of the construction, said here yesterday. Fully equipped and ready for operation, op-eration, the final cost is estimated a $50,000,000 and Major Tyler believes be-lieves that expenditures will remain within the estimates. "Muscle Shoals," said the major, yesterday, "is a development project pro-ject in every respect opposite to : those with which California and the Pacific Southwest are familiar. Here ; you deal with high pressures, generated gener-ated by a high head and comparatively comparative-ly small volumes of flow. At Muscle Mus-cle Shoals we are dealing with an enormous en-ormous volume of flow and a relatively rela-tively low head only ninety-five .. fet. California developments are often as much reclamation as power projects; Muscle Shoals is primarily a power project, with subsidiary provision pro-vision for navagation, through locks, around the shoals. "The flow of the Tennessee River will give about 80,000 horsepower - at low water and as much as 600,- 000 horsepower for 2 0 per cent of the year. The dam and powerhouse contain 1,330,000 cubic yards of concrete con-crete masonry and the structure In that respect is the largest dam in the -oriel, being of greater mass than ' e Assouan Dam in Egypt. In leng'h .'-e two structures will measure 4500 foot or slightly more . than fou'r-Ifths fou'r-Ifths of a mile. The dam is of the erflow spillway type, and the height from the rock of the river bed to the elevation of the pool above the dam is 100 feet, giving an effective head of about ninety-five feet. "The power-house is being built units and two 1000-horsepower units for auxiliary or house use. The first four units are on .the ground now ready for instalaltion. Last summer concrete was being placed in the dam at the rate of 50,000 cubic yards a month. The month's record was 72,000 yards. "Originally the plant was intended intend-ed for the manufacture of ammonium ammon-ium nitrates for war purposes. What use will be made of It by private business bus-iness depends upon the purchaser. Nobody knows the full plans of Henry Hen-ry Ford, one of the bidders. He has for competitors the Asosciated South ern Power compnaies and Elon H. Hooker of Niagara Falls, president of the Hooker -Electric Chemical Co. "With the plant go two auxiliary steam plants, which will be in operation oper-ation during the periods of low water. wa-ter. They are now in use by the Tennessee Electric Power company, |