Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-25
GAS CORPORATION
BUYS new Plant
Appalachian Company Takes
Over Controlling Interest
in Empire Firm.
BY GEORGE Z. DoYING.


Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. August 25-Announce-
ment was made here that the Appa.-
lachian Gas Corporate already one
Of the largest natural gas producers
and distributors IN the United states.
has acquired controlling interest in
the Empire Corporation. which renders
public utility services Of various kinds
to more than $50 communities in nine
States. \
This acquisition was said by John
j. Bergen. an authority on natural gas
securities, to be indicative of the rap
IDLY expanding field of natural gas
utilities. The Appalachian Corpora
ton was organized less than two years
ago and, in the face Of the economic
depression, has built up an organiza-
ton with total assets In excess of
so, 900 900 and gross revenues Of more
than $1O,000.0O0 annually.
Development Program.
The natural gas industry spent more
than e2S0.000. 900 In remarkable de-
velopment program last year and indi-
cations are that an even greater sum
viii be expended during 1881. With
expenditures nearly one-tnird as great
as the approximate $500, 0O0, 900 spent
by the electric utilities last year and
with the prospect of spending about
one-hah Of the $500 900 900 which the
electric companies are deyoting to new
construction this year. The natural
gas industry takes It's place as one of
the leading factors In preventing the
business slump from being even worse
than 1t Is.
The revival Of the Eas business, fol-
lowing the discovery of the huge natural
gas fields in California and the South
west. has been one Of the outstanding
events In the business world More
than $500 communities are now being
served with this product, and In the
last 10 years the number of natural gas
consumers has increased from 2,o96, 600
TO $500 900, and this number continues
to increase daily.
Within comparatively short tine
the city Of Chicago win be using large
quantities Of natural gas mixed with
the artificial product, and q similar
situation VIII prevail IN several Of the
other large cities of Illinois, where two
huge pipe lines are now being COM
pleted across the State, one running to
Chicago and the other across the CEN
trail portion into Indiana
In addition to the increased con-
sumption of natural gas for ordinary
domestic uses. 1t Is being used extern
SlVeiy Dy 1nouStr1al plants ana Tor mouse
heating, while the American Gas Assoc
citation predicts that within five years
many Of the better class Of American
homes viii use It to cool their houses in
Summer IS they are now heated In
Winter
Prospect q Industry.
within less than i've years" the as
ISOLATION declares, complete residential
Summer afr conditioning the kind that
burns gas in the Summertime-wil be-
come quite general IN the better grade
buildings and win be seriously consid-
cred by every one Building home
within that class, ~ well as by owners
of old houses with warm-air furnaces.
Negotiations are now under way
which, It is expected. win result In ar
rangements for manufacturing, on .
large scale. gas-operatsd Summer SIC
conditioning equipment. The subject
Of complete Summer air Conditioning
with gas Is being taken out Of the neid
Of possibilities and Is being put into tl1s
category of reAlitisS."
During the Summer now drawing to
an end the association has been coz.
Quoting . research program which M
ciudes the cooling by gas of four resi-
dences In localities OF varying climates.
tCopxriGht. 1881