Show MUSCLE SHOALS CALLED NIAGARA OF THE SOUTH likened to great falls as potential water power washington muscle shoals and its wilson dam in the further development of which the new administration has declared an interest Is the niagara of the south insofar as potential water power Is concerned according to a bulletin from the national geographic society muscle shoals Is off the main highways and railroads and considerably south of the center of population and Is therefore not so well known to traveling americans as some less important power sites says the bulletin the tennessee river on which these rapids are situated Is the main tributary of the ohio river and carries a large volume of water especially in the spring months the river flowing far to the south and then far to the north makes a vast bend greater than that in any other of the major streams of the united states except the snake river and the rio grande drops about feet some of the headwaters of the tennessee rise in virginia and the stream then makes two complete crossings of the state of tennessee looping between times into northern alabama it is the portion of the river that lies in alabama that contains muscle shoals a section of rapids 37 miles long in this short distance the river drops about feet nearly a third of the entire fall between chattanooga and the ohio river plans to improve the tennessee at muscle shoals have been in existence for more than a hundred years the work was first recommended by the secretary of war in 1824 this improvement pro was wholly for the purpose of bettering navigation work was actually started in 1831 and a canal with several locks was constructed but was of small value further improvements prove ments to help navigation were made up until the world war when it was decided to harness the river hy by a power dam and to utilize its electric energy for the production of nitrates to be used in the manufacture of ammunition the wilson allson dam was begun in 1910 and was not completed until 1925 1025 this dam is one of the largest in the united states the river spreads great breadth so that the dam lacks only about feet of being a mile long it la Is approximately feet j high to the roadway on top and contained at the time of its completion a greater volume of concrete than any other dam in the world because of the great width of the river at the dam site construction wa was s very costly dam and power house have cost to date the power house to ie situated at the south end of the dam and has foundations which provide tor for the installation of 18 giant turbines that will produce a maximum of horse power of these eight have been installed and are capable of producing a maximum of horse power the maximum at low water will be about horse power since the completion of the wilson dam and power house in 1925 the plant has been put to very little use some electric energy has been sold to existing power com companies but aut at no time has the power house been called on for its maximum production in connection with the building of the wilson dam the federal government constructed two huge factories for the manufacture of nitrates from tho nitrogen of the air the various buildings of one situated at the town of sheffield a few miles down stream from the southern end of the dam are scattered over more than 1800 acres of land it has never been in use the second four miles up stream from sheffield and close to the end of the dam occupies a tract of 2300 acres it has hag been operated only on a test basis the government also constructed a large steam power plant of horse power with which to operate the second nitrate plant pending the completion ot of the dam dain near city of florence the north end of the wilson lam dam Is in the suburbs of florence ala a thriving little city of inhabitants florence Is a typical inland southern town of shaded streets many of them lined with fine old mansions like other communities near muscle shoals florence felt the hectic wartime prosperity that poured liberal wages into the hands of workers 0 on n the dam and nitrate plants when the wilson lam dam was atis built primarily for power production th the possibilities of improving the navigation of the tennessee river by the structure were not overlooked at the north end of the dam is a canal with its flight of locks through which river boats are lifted into the wilson lake back water from the dam makes the river navigable for 14 miles up stream but at this point a shallow stretch occurs there an aux auxiliary illary dam is being built which will make the river navigable to chattanooga A small dam also has been built several miles down stream from wilson dam to make possible the passage of river traffic over tile the lower end of muscle shoals when the upstream up stream dam Is completed it will be possible for tennessee river traffic to operate from chattanooga to the mouth of the river and ol OB down through the ohio and mississippi to the gulf carrying its burdens of coal stone phosphate rock coke iron lumber furniture and farm and food products |