Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1909-03-04
NATURAL GAS.

Heorge OTIS Smith. Director, in
United States Geological Survey
Press Bulletin, says:
In spite of the drain on the supply
of natural gas in the United States
for the last fifty years and the conse
qnent exhaustion of the natural-gas
resources in many localities in west
ern Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.
the total value of the gas produced in
1907 exceeded all previous records,
aggregating So 500 ,S35. In 1870, when
the use of this fuel in factories was at
It's height in Ohio, Indiana, and other
states, the value of the product was
SIS, 792, I25, little over one-third of
the value recorded in 1907. Ofcourse
the value per thousand feet has in
creased very rapidly during the last
seventeen years. The quantity of gas
produced in loo7-4O4 ,441 .254 thousand
cubic feet-showed a very definite in
crease over the output in 1906, which
amounted to HSS, S43, ,562 thousand Gu
bic feet. Only within the last two
years has an accurate record been
kept of the total quantity of natural
gas produced, but Il comparison of
these figures shows that there has
been but slight increase in the average
price during that period
In All introduction to the report ON
the production of natural gas. pub
lished by the United States Geolegi
cal Survey in Part II of "Mineral
Resources Of the United States, Cal
endar Year 1907, David L. Day saws:
"The great increase in consume
tion of natural gas in 1907 was due
chiefly to the efforts of well-estah-
llshed companies which are engaged
in producing the gas and trandport-
ing it over exceptionally great dis
tances This increase is due rather
to the profitable investment of local
capital in this industry than to any
great increase in demand, as is shown
by the fact that the production of
west Virginia was greatly stimulated
in order to transport the gas a dis
tance Of over 200 miles to such dis
tant points as Cleveland, Ohio, while
in Louisiana the enormous gas pres
snres are allowing much more gas to
go to waste than is utilized. although
transportation Of the gas from Shreye-
port to New Orleans would be only
slightly more expensive than from
the West Virginia field to Cleveland.
This waste Of natural gas in the Cad
do field Of Louisiana is the most flag
rant example of the abuse rf national
wealth yet recorded in this industry
The report on natural gas. which
was prepared by b. Hill. presents in
tabular form detailed statistics of
production and consumption and dis
cnsses the condition of the industry
in each Of the producing states.
The leading states in the produc-
tion Of this fuel are Pennsylvania.
West Virginia, Kansas and Ohio.
The state reporting the smallest pro-
dnction in 1907 was Oregon, with 400
thousand cubic feet, valued at 500.
or % cents per thousand, Pennsyl
vania's product amounted to l35,5l6.-
Ol5 thousand cubic feet, valued at 1919
cents per thousand, or SlS,944. .las.
West Virginia, the second state. re-
ported All output of 1922, ,6S7 1886 thOus-
and cubic feet, at 1916 cents per thous-
and, or Sl6.G7O,962. Kansas produc4
ed "A, ,52G.30O thousand cubic feet
valued at 90 cents per thousand. or
81, ,S43,0l9. Ohio yielded 50, ,O4O. .996
thousand cubic feet. valued at lG.S
cents per thousand, or sS,7lS, ,562.
California reported the highest price
per thousand in 1907 cents. and
the product, 230, ,344 thousand cubic
feet, was valued at Sl6S, ,397. In South
Dakota, which reported an output of
$4,000 thousand cubic feet, the price
per thousand was y cents. The low
est price was that for Kansas gas
G.5 cents per thousand cubic feet.