Necessity for Omaha Storage Reservoirs
In the course of an investigation of the Omaha, Neb., water situation in the hearing in the city hall council chamber in that city on October 25, George T. Prince, consulting engineer, asserted that Omaha faces a fire menace from lack of water storage reservoirs, one for the center of the city and one for South Omaha. Mr. Prince said that “Until these reservoirs are built we always will be dependent upon iron men—engines, in other words—and there always will be a real danger from fire and other troubles in Omaha."
Mr. Prince was chief engineer of the metropolitan utilities district, afterwards the metropolitan water district, and during his term of office the building of these reservoirs was suggested by General Manager R. B. Howell. Manager Howell had called on the Douglas county commissioners, urging the sale by them of available land located at the County Poor Farm to be used for a reservoir. This, according to the testimony, the county commissioners refused to do, and Manager Howell consulted with John L. Webster, attorney for the Metropolitan utilities district, in an attempt to condemn the land. After endeavoring to purchase the available land from the owner Mr. Howell went before the legislature and endeavored to put a bill through permitting him to condemn the land. This bill was killed.
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