text: **D I S C O N T I N U E D O P E R A T I O N S**
  During 1997, the Company sold all of its natural gas operations. The financial statements presented herein reflect the Company’s natural gas operations as 
  discontinued operations for all periods presented. The financial statements also reflect an after-tax gain on disposal of these discontinued operations of 
  $ .2 million, or $ .10 per basic and $ .09 per diluted share, in both 2003 and 2002, and $5.5 million, or $2.70 per basic and $2.42 per diluted share, in 2001. 
  
  In addition to the initial consideration received in 1997 upon the sale of the natural gas operations, certain annual contingent deferred payments of up to 
  $250,000 per year were to be paid to the Company over an eight-year period which began in 1999, with the amount paid each year to be dependent upon 
  revenues received by the purchaser from certain gas transportation contracts. The Company received deferred payments of $250,000 each, before tax, from 
  the purchaser in April 2003, 2002 and 2001 which are reflected in each year as a gain from discontinued operations of $165,000, net of tax. The 2001 
  gain also includes a $5,327,000 non-cash gain from reversal of a reserve established when the Company disposed of its natural gas operations in 1997. 
  This reversal in the third quarter of 2001 followed the resolution of an outstanding contingency related to the sale of those assets. 