Munsey's Magazine, November 1918

This November 1918 issue of Munsey's Magazine features an article by U.S. Senator John K. Shields from Tennessee examining America's underdeveloped water-power resources. Shields contends that while U.S. rivers contain an estimated sixty-one million horse-power, fewer than five million have been harnessed—a vast waste attributable to what he terms "mistaken" conservation policies and restrictive legislation. He argues that water-power development, converted to hydroelectric energy, offers cheap power for manufacturing, irrigation, lighting, and transportation, particularly for nitrogen fixation to produce fertilizers and explosives. Shields advocates for pending legislation enabling private interests to improve navigable rivers for concurrent power development without federal expenditure, citing successful western projects in Montana and California. The article includes photographs of various waterfalls and power facilities.