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Historic American Buildings Survey,
Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey
View photos from this survey. (Some may not be online).
Wilson Dam & Hydroelectric Plant, Turbine & Generator Unit, Spanning Tennessee River at Wilson Dam Road (Route 133), Muscle Shoals, Colbert County, AL
- Title: Wilson Dam & Hydroelectric Plant, Turbine & Generator Unit, Spanning Tennessee River at Wilson Dam Road (Route 133), Muscle Shoals, Colbert County, AL
- Creator(s): Historic American Engineering Record, creator
- Related Names:
Benz, Sue , transmitter
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) , sponsor
DeLony, Eric N. , project manager
Lowe, Jet , photographer
Payne, Christopher , delineator - Date Created/Published: Documentation compiled after 1968
- Medium:
Photo(s): 7
Measured Drawing(s): 1
Photo Caption Page(s): 1 - Reproduction Number: ---
- Rights Advisory:
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html)
- Call Number: HAER ALA,17-MUSHO,2A-
- Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
- Notes:
- Significance: At Wilson Dam, two manufacturers, Westinghouse and General Electric, each supplied 4 of the dam's first turbine and generator sets to the 18 unit-capacity powerhouse. Illustrated here is one of the original GE generators with its correlative "Francis" turbine built by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. Named after its originator, James B. Francis, the Francis, or inward-flow, turbine has distinctly American roots that lead back to its first application in the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts in 1849. By the time of Wilson Dam, the Francis turbine had grown in size and efficiency to become one of the standard prime movers in modern hydroelectric plants. Such increases in runner size were in tandem with an increase in the size of generators and their electrical output. In 1900, General Electric generators at Niagara Falls were producing 5,000 horsepower per unit. 25 years later, Wilson Dam was called the "Niagara of the South," with each GE generator set producing 35,000 h.p. Maximum efficiency in hydroelectric generation is dependent upon the integration of both dam and turbine design. The type and size of the runner dictates the design of the dam's penstock, scroll case and draft tube. At Wilson Dam, these sub-structural features utilize massive concrete formwork to create the perfect turbine setting. Flowing through three penstocks and into a single scroll case (spiral distributor), the water of the Tennessee River enters the turbine inwardly through guide vanes, flows into the side of the Frances runner and is discharged axially through the center of the turbine into the draft tube, in this case a unique design known as the Moody spreading draft tube. To maintain consistent electrical frequency throughout changes in river level, and hence, changed in turbine speed, flow of water into the runner is controlled by a Lombard hydraulic governor linked to a collar of 20 wicket gates that surrounds the turbine.
- Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N165
- Survey number: HAER AL-47-A
- National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 66000147
- Place:
- Collections:
- Part of: Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)
- Bookmark This Record:
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/al1187/
The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and Restrictions Information page ( https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html ).
- Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
- Reproduction Number: ---
- Call Number: HAER ALA,17-MUSHO,2A-
- Medium:
Photo(s): 7
Measured Drawing(s): 1
Photo Caption Page(s): 1
If Digital Images Are Displaying
You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.
HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).
- Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
- Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
- If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
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- Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
- If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
- Data Pages
- Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.
If Digital Images Are Not Displaying
In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:
- Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
- P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
- Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
- You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):
- Make note of the Call Number listed above.
- Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
- The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
- All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
- Call Number: HAER ALA,17-MUSHO,2A-
- Medium:
Photo(s): 7
Measured Drawing(s): 1
Photo Caption Page(s): 1
Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.
-
Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will
be visible on the left.)
-
Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
-
No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
-
-
Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that
a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?
-
Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
-
No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
-
-
If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.
To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.