The Alaska daily empire., 1912-11-22
KATALLA'S
 NATURAL GAS

At Katalla there are coal and oE and natural gas, A news article in q recent issue of The Daily Empire told how all the power used by the Amalgamated Development Company, of Katalla, is furnished by natural gas, and the light of animmense gas jet nearly hundred feet high may be seen far to the seaward
 The amount of natural gas con sumed last year in the United States was $74,OOO,OOO. While there was a decrease in quantity from the output of 1910, the figures for the two years being 5O9.l55, ,SO9,OOO and 5OS,S5S,241,. 900 cubic feet, the value of the pro duction in lS11 was nearly $4,OOO,OOO greater than that of 1910, a gain of 4.T6 per cent. The increase in de- mand for natural gas from copsum- CTS of all kinds, according to David T. Day of the United States Geologi- cal survey, in a report on the produc ton of natural gas in 1911, just pub lished by the survey, makes the SUD- ply of gas a matter of growing ser lousness. Beyond question the nat ural gas that can be furnished in many of the fields of the United States is simply function of the cap ltal invested in natural gas lines, and especially in power plants for pump ing the gas. But the safety of such large investments decreases in pro- portion as the nnsatisfed demand be. comes indicative of a failing supply.
 In Ohio and Indiana the yield has diminished so rapidly as to stop the investment of the further capital necessary to increase production One important feature bearing on the pro duction of natural gas during 1911 was the excessive demand for it in Kansas City. Mo. This caused 6 board of public utilities to create a commission headed by Erasmus Ha- worth. state geologist of Kansas, to investigate the probable duration of the supply of gas to Kansas City. In his report Haworth expresses tho opinion that supply Of natural gas sufficient for the needs of the city is not possible for longer than three or four years.
 Pennsylvania was the greatest con sumer of natural gas in 1911, with an output of 154,475,S76,OOO cubic feet; Ohio was second, with 112,123,O29,OOO cubic feet for other industrial pur- with SOS6S.645,OOO cubic feet and Kansas fourth. with 77,S6l,14S,OOO cu- bic feet. The Kansas figure includes gas piped from Kansas and consumed in Missouri, also gas piped from Okla homa into Kansas and Missouri. In 1911 Pennsylvania used 1OS, ,227, ,58O, ,OOO cubic feet for manufacturing and 10,- 221 ,l5S, ,OOO cublt feet for other indus trial purposes-power. etc. West Vir- giania used 5O,13O,O46,OOO cubic feet for manufacturing and 16,S6S,27S,OOO lubic feet for other industrial pur- poses. Kansas used 46,57O,41TOOO and | 2. 1902, ,S55, ,OOO cubic feet for manufac- turing and otber industrial purDoses. respectively,
 On December S1, 1911, there were 1OSO9 productive wells in Pennsyl- vania, 4755 in West virgiania, 4717 in Ohio. 26SS in Indiana and 2OO4 in Kansas. The total number Of pro ductive wells in the United States on that date was 2S,42S.
 During the last three years the sep aration of the more volatile grades of gasoline from natural gas issuing from oil wells has become a profit able industry of increasing import ance. Te industry did not progress as rapidly in 1911 as was expected. Undoubtedly it will eventually become settled and hourishing business, for millions of cubic feet of gas that fig now wasted on leases might be con verted into gasoline, should the de- mand and price warrant it. The United States geological survey las. year attempted to compile figures of production of gasoline from natural gas, but many plants were operated internationally and no records wero kept of the output. Statements from such producers could only be esti- matd. However crude the method of manufacture. a report of the Quau- tity of gasoline produced shows an output in 1911 of 7,425,SS9 gallons with an estimated value of S531,7O4