<ARTICLE> UT <LEGEND> This schedule contains summary financial information extracted from the Balance Sheets, Income Statements and Statements of Cash Flows of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation for the fiscal year 1997 and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such financial statements. </LEGEND> <RESTATED> <PERIOD-TYPE> 3-MOS 6-MOS 9-MOS 12-MOS <FISCAL-YEAR-END> DEC-31-1997 DEC-31-1997 DEC-31-1997 DEC-31-1997 <PERIOD-END> MAR-31-1997 JUN-30-1997 SEP-30-1997 DEC-31-1997 <BOOK-VALUE> PER-BOOK PER-BOOK PER-BOOK PER-BOOK <TOTAL-NET-UTILITY-PLANT> 75314310 76180847 76766578 77787816 <OTHER-PROPERTY-AND-INVEST> 22794296 22917474 23726882 24450792 <TOTAL-CURRENT-ASSETS> 19980502 16226496 18708908 24069861 <TOTAL-DEFERRED-CHARGES> 12510658 11718305 12617844 11070391 <OTHER-ASSETS> 0 0 0 0 <TOTAL-ASSETS> 130599766 127043122 131820212 137378860 <COMMON> 2167047 2174064 2181014 2191792 <CAPITAL-SURPLUS-PAID-IN> 18961990 19198037 19433280 19819604 <RETAINED-EARNINGS> 29164113 28773677 26947737 28218763 <TOTAL-COMMON-STOCKHOLDERS-EQ> 50003027 49898912 48392243 50336145 <PREFERRED-MANDATORY> 0 0 0 0 <PREFERRED> 0 0 0 0 <LONG-TERM-DEBT-NET> 28907000 28647000 28642000 38226000 <SHORT-TERM-NOTES> 12000000 9900000 18400000 7600000 <LONG-TERM-NOTES-PAYABLE> 0 0 0 0 <COMMERCIAL-PAPER-OBLIGATIONS> 0 0 0 0 <LONG-TERM-DEBT-CURRENT-PORT> 784868 717368 659868 582500 <PREFERRED-STOCK-CURRENT> 0 0 0 0 <CAPITAL-LEASE-OBLIGATIONS> 0 0 0 0 <LEASES-CURRENT> 0 0 0 0 <OTHER-ITEMS-CAPITAL-AND-LIAB> 15452684 37879842 35726101 40634215 <TOT-CAPITALIZATION-AND-LIAB> 130599766 127043122 131820212 137378860 <GROSS-OPERATING-REVENUE> 43645111 68450539 88360846 122774593 <INCOME-TAX-EXPENSE> 2272543 2661602 2111636 3327627 <OTHER-OPERATING-EXPENSES> 37268130 60274748 80709844 33123166 <TOTAL-OPERATING-EXPENSES> 39540673 62936350 82821480 36450793 <OPERATING-INCOME-LOSS> 4104438 5514189 5539366 8558970 <OTHER-INCOME-NET> 60823 123695 175725 427711 <INCOME-BEFORE-INTEREST-EXPEN> 4165261 5637884 5715091 8986681 <TOTAL-INTEREST-EXPENSE> 799148 1578931 2395330 3303735 <NET-INCOME> 3366113 4058953 3319761 5682946 <PREFERRED-STOCK-DIVIDENDS> 0 0 0 0 <EARNINGS-AVAILABLE-FOR-COMM> 3366113 4058953 3319761 5682946 <COMMON-STOCK-DIVIDENDS> 962888 2042668 3249805 4421231 <TOTAL-INTEREST-ON-BONDS> 2374102 2357022 2339859 2347369 <CASH-FLOW-OPERATIONS> 7531133 11991369 8299023 12307012 <EPS-PRIMARY> .76 .91 .74 1.27 <EPS-DILUTED> .72 .88 .73 1.24