Omaha daily bee., 1919-04-06
BY EDGAR c. SNYDER.

Washington, April 5.-Congress-
man Frank Reavis of Fails City,
Neb., who, with Mrs. Reavis and
a congressional party of rs senator's
and representatives and their wives,
made a pilgrimage to the canal zone
last month, is back in Washington
with some tall stories of the de-
lights of fishing in the tropic seas,
Mr.. Reavis, who is an all-around
sportsman with rod and gun, having
for years maintained fishing and
shooting lodge on one of the beau
tiful lakes in Wisconsin, said that
under the mastery direction of Ad-
miral Johnson, in command of the
naval base at Panama; Senator
Jones of New Mexico, Representa-
tive Woods of Indiana, Represen-
tative Knutson of Minnesota and
himself on board of a submarine
chaser, went to the Pearl islands,
about so miles off shore from Pan
ANA in the Pacific ocean, and in
one days fishing caught SAB pounds
of red snapper, amberjack and cor
bina, which Reavies says is the fin
est food fish in the world, beating
red snapper and pompano forty
ways from the jack"
Best in World.
There are no fishing grounds in
all the world like the waters around
these Pearl islands" said the Ne
braska congressman. Panama,
which, in its native language, means
plenty fish, is correctly named.
Nowhere on the habitable globe is
such fishing to be had as in and
about Panama"
His next try at fishing, while on
the "trip to the tropics, was on the
Chasres river just below the Gatun
spillway down which the overflow
waters from Gatun lake rush with
a velocity far greater than the wa
tiers of the Niagara river pour over
the falls. Here he caught a Is
pound tarpon by fly casting in the
seething fresh waters from the lake
with a l4-ounce steel rod. This was
the greatest sport Reavis ever ex-
perienced, and no other place IN all
the world can tarpon be caught IN
fresh water by fly casting than here
at the Chagres spillway.
Other Adventures.
But Congressman Reavis had an
other thrill that he is fond OF telling
about. He has been up in an air
ship: he crossed tho ocean when
submarines were busy on both sides
of the Atlantic; he has been in the
first line trenches on the fields OF
Flanders and was under fire OF the
Hun guns. And yet these adven-
lures did not suffice. He wanted to
try the submarine and be sub
merged in the ocean. And he got
his wish while on his visit to the
canal zone. Upon invitation OF
Lieutenant Currents of Platts-
mouth, Neb., commander of the sub
marine CO. whose chief officer also
was q Plattsmouth- boy, Lieutenant
Fuller, Mr.. and Mrs. Reavis board
ed the submarine at the naval base
Cocoa Solo, across the bay from
Colon and were taken some dis
lance out into the ocean where the
boat submerged for three-quarters
of an hour in 100 or more feet OF
water. 1T was the most wonderful
experience l ever had" said Mr..
Reavis, although it was hotter than
hades while the vessel rested upon
the ocean floor"
Panama Immoral.
Conditions at Panama and Colon
are somewhat chaotic, according to
the Nebraska statesman. There IL
considerable friction between the
civil governor of the zone and the
commanding officer OF the military
forces in the xone and 4 great deal
Of difficulty between the Pana'
manians and the commander of thu
military forces" said Mr.. Reavis
Panama Is the most immoral place
In the world. It is so immoral thai
the commanding officer notified the
local governor of Panama and
Colon that II the cities were no,
cleaned up and 1ewd women sup.
pressed he would prohibit the
troops from visiting the cities. The
Panama government told him that
II he didn't like the cities he could
keep his soldiers out. The com.
mander of the United States force.
took the Panamanians at their WORD
and no American soldier has beer
permitted to go into either city
since last May.
"Under the treaty We have with
Panama during times of war the
commanding officer of the land
forces becomes the dictator of the
canal zone. The civil governor Of
the zone. Chester Harding. and 4
former engineer commissioner Of