For domestic and industrial purposes there are two kinds of gas: natural gas and that made from coal. Natural gas is most common in Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. During 1938 many pipe lines were laid from gas areas to cities, often 50 or 100 miles away, where the gas is used for heating, cooking, and for a variety of other purposes, as for running engines.
Artificial gas is made from coal in large plants, where it is stored in tanks and thence piped to the consumer. In making gas, ammonia, coal-tar products and many other valuable commercial by-products are also obtained. The use of gas has been extended to industrial fields. Furnaces for melting metals and heat-treating iron and steel are frequently gas-fired because of the close temperature control possible. In the past year the trend has been towards increased consumption of natural gas over the artificial or manufactured product. This downward trend of the latter is due to competition from electricity, natural gas, oil, and cheap fuels.
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