Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 07.djvu/42

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OLYPHANT 22 OMAHA miles N. of Larissa; lat. 40° 4' 32" N., Ion. 22° 25' E. Its highest peak is 9,745 feet above the sea, and is covered with snow during two-thirds of the year. The E. side, which fronts the sea, is com- posed of a line of precipices, while a pro- fusion of oak, beech, chestnut, and other trees are scattered at its base, and higher up are immense forests of pine. It was regarded by the ancient Greeks as the abode of the gods; and the palace of Jupiter was supposed to be on the sum- mit Olympus is also the ancient name of several mountains, viz.: the N. W. range of Taurus, in Mysia; a mountain in the island of Cyprus; one in Lycia; one in Elis; and one on the borders of Laconia and Arcadia. OLYPHANT, a borough of Pennsyl- vania, in Lackawanna co. It is near the Lackawanna river, and on the Delaware and Hudson, the Wilkes-Barre and East- ern, and the New York, Ontario, and Western railroads. It is the center of an important anthracite region of the State. Its chief industries are the min- ing and shipping of coal. There are al- so manufactures of blasting powder, iron and steel goods, cigars, silks, etc. Pop. (1910) 8,305; (1920) 10,236. OMAGH, the county town of Tyrone, Ireland, on the Strule, 34 miles S. of Londonderry and 110 N. N. W. of Dub- lin. It grew up around an abbey found- ed in 792, but is first heard of as a fort- ress in the end of the 15th century, when it was forced to surrender to the English. It formed part of James I.'s "Plantation" grants, and was strongly garrisoned by Mountjoy. On its being evacuated by the troops of James II, in 1689 it was partially burned, and a sec- ond fire in 1743 completed its destruction. But it has been well rebuilt, and is now a neat and prosperous town. Pop. (1918) 4,836. OMAHA, a city of Nebraska, the largest in the State, and the county-seat of Douglas CO. It is on the Missouri river, about 500 miles W. of Chicago. Omaha is located on 9 trunk lines of rail- roads and 22 branches. These include the Burlington route, the Chicago, Mil- waukee and St. Paul, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, the Wabash, the Northwestern, the Illinois Central, the Union Pacific, and the Missouri Pacific. The city is also on the Missouri river, which is spanned by many great bridges connecting it with Council Bluffs, Iowa. A belt line of railroads encircles the city, giving railway inter-communication. The area of the city is 37.78 square miles. There are 800 miles of streets. and a water system costing $10,000,000. Omaha is the center of an important agricultural area and is the first city in the United States in the production of butter, the second corn and live stock market, the third agricultural imple- ment center, and the fourth railroad center. The city is attractively situated on a plateau rising into bluffs which are used largely for residence sites. The business district lies adjacent to the river. From its position with reference to the West, Omaha is called the Gate City. It has a park system of over 1,000 acres in extent, and includes municipal bathing beaches, swimming pools, playgrounds, golf courses, etc. The large parks are connected by a boulevard system of over 35 miles in length. There is a public school enrollment of about 35,000 and the cost of the school system is over $2,000,000 annually. The institutions for higher education include Creighton University, the Uni- versity of Omaha, Omaha Medical Col- lege, Brownell Hall, and several private schools. There are in all over 80 public and private schools. The public library contains over 150,000 volumes. The notable buildings include the city hall, county court house, United States Gov- ernment building, bank buildings, an auditorium, and the Protestant Episcopal and Roman Catholic cathedrals. The city contains the Nebraska Institution for the Deaf, and several large hospitals. It is the seat of the military headquar- ters of the Department of Missouri. Fort Omaha lies within the city limits and Fort Crook adjoins it on the south. Omaha is an important wholesale cen- ter with an annual business of over $350,000,000. The leading lines are au«  tomobiles, groceries, oil, commission pro- ducts, boilers and accessories, agricul- tural implements, drygoods, lumber, coal, plumbing and heating supplies. The total value of the manufactures is over $460,000,000 annually. Meat packing is the chief industry. The annual output is valued at over $300,000,000. Omaha is first in pig lead production. Other im- portant manufactures are flour, butter, food products of all kinds, clothing, boots and shoes, rubber goods, steam engines, boilers, etc. The bank clearings ex- ceed $3,000,000,000 annually. It has branches of the Federal Land Bank and of the Federal Reserve Bank. Omaha is an Indian name of disputed meaning. The town was laid out in 1854 on a scale which anticipated its future growth. Its commercial importance was assured when it was selected as the east-