UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 4
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
( ) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16.
Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b).
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Sparks, Carolyn M.
   
   5241 Spring Mountain Road
   Las Vegas, NV  89102
   USA
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   Southwest Gas Corporation
   SWX
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
   
4. Statement for Month/Year
   September 1998
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
   
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   (X) Director ( ) 10% Owner ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other
   (specify below)
   
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | | Transaction | or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | | | | | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | Date |Code|V| Amount | D | Price | End of Month |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Common Stock |8/5/98|P | |4,000 |A |23.25 |5,000 |I |Trust (2) (4) | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |1,509 (1) |D | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con- |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction | rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer | | | rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |Price of| | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva- | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu- | | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity |Date |Code|V| Amount | |ble | | | |Month |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Stock Option |$23 |5/14/| |V|2,000 |A |(3) |5/14/|Common Stock|2,000 | |2,000 |D | | | |98 | | | | | |08 | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| (right to buy) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
Explanation of Responses: (1) Includes 57 shares acquired in 1998 pursuant to the dividend reinvesstment plan. (2) Reporting person is trustee of Sparks Family Trust. (3) The option vests in three annual installments of 800 shares in 1999, 600 shares in 2000, and 600 shares in 2001, beginning on May 14, 1999. (4) Through an oversight, filer failed to report purchase of 4,000 shares purchased by broker during stock offering for the family trust portfolio. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON Carolyn M. Sparks by Faye J. Ringler, Attorney in Fact DATE 1/20/99