1947:
ARIZONA'S ROSWELL CASE
Roswell wasn't the only saucer crash. Fifty years ago this week, two men reported seeing a
SECOND downed saucer at Cave Creek, near Phoenix, Arizona. Here is their story:
"In early October 1947, 22-year-old Selman Graves and his 16-year-old brother-in-law Bob
Malody were rabbit-hunting and exploring mines in what is now known as the Cave Creek
Recreational Area north of Phoenix."
"At one point Graves and Malody climbed to the top of the most prominent hill in the area and
looked south back at the ranch house of their friend Walt Salyer. They could see Salyer's house,
his corral, and even his water tank. But when Graves looked west of the property he witnessed a
scene that made no sense then and still haunts him five decades later."
"What he saw can best be described as 'a large aluminum dome-shaped thing sitting upright in the
desert,' Graves said, 'I thought it might be some kind of observatory dome, except why should a
dome be down at that elevation?'"
"Graves also remembered seeing five men and two trucks near the dome. One of the trucks was
of the military (2.5-ton) type, capable of carrying personnel or equipment. 'But I didn't see any
equipment like cranes or anything like that,' Graves said, 'And the men didn't seem to be doing
any work. I could not identify a uniform.'"
Using Salyer's ranch for size and distance perception, Graves estimated that the dome was 36 feet
(11 meters) in diameter and maybe a mile away."
"Graves never considered that he might have witnessed the crash of an extraterrestrial craft until
1952, after he read BEHIND THE FLYING SAUCERS, a book by pioneer ufologist Frank
Scully (no relation to Dana--J.T.). In the book, Scully wrote about the Cave Creek incident and
cited an informant who told him that two humanoid bodies about four and a half feet (1.4 meters)
were retrieved, one sitting inside the craft and the other halfway out the hatch." (See the
newspaper Newsday of Melville, N.Y. for July 6, 1997. Many thanks to Lou Farrish of UFO
Newsclipping Service for forwarding this news story.)
1947: THE KENNETH ARNOLD
UFO SIGHTING
This week marks the 50th Anniversary of Kenneth
Arnold's sighting of nine silvery crescent-shaped UFOs
over Pendleton, Oregon. Here's a treat for you readers:
the actual AP news story of the event from June 25,
1947. We hope you enjoy it.
PENDLETON, Ore. -- (AP) -- Nine bright saucer-
like objects flying at "incredible" speed at 10,000 feet
altitude were reported here yesterday (June 24, 1947)
by Kenneth Arnold, Boise, Idaho, pilot, who said he
could not hazard a guess as to what they were.
Arnold, a United States forest service employee
engaged in a search for a missing plane said he
sighted the mysterious objects Thursday at 3 p.m.
They were flying between Mount Rainier and Mount
Adams in Washington state, he said, and appeared
to weave in and out of formation. Arnold said he
clocked them and estimated their speed at 1,200
miles an hour.
Inquiry at Yakima (Wash.) brought only blank
stares, he said, but he added he talked with an
unidentified man from Ukiah (California) south of
here, who said he had seen similar objects over the
mountains near Ukiah Tuesday (June 22, 1947).
"It seems impossible," Arnold said, "but there
it is."
In Washington, the War Department said it had
no information on the Oregon sky mystery.
An Army spokesman expressed interest in any
object which would fly at an estimated speed of
1,200 miles per hour, declaring, "As far as we know,
nothing flies that fast except a V-2 rocket, which
travels at about 3,500 miles an hour--and that's
too fast to be seen." (See the Duluth, Minnesota
News-Tribune for June 25, 1947, "'Flying Saucers,'
Up in Air 10,000 Feet, Puzzle Pilot," page 3.)
1947: SAUCERS APPEAR OVER
MALLARDVILLE, B.C.
The mystery of the "flying saucers" became more and
more mystifying to local residents over the weekend as
six persons, three of them residents of Mallardville, laid
claim to having seen the flashing discs streaking through
the sky at noon-time on Sunday (July 6, 1947).
Antoine Beauregard, painter, said he was working on
a house during the afternoon and suddenly saw "a shiny
aluminum disc" cross the sky "at a height of about 15
miles."
"It was about 300 feet long," said Mr. Beauregard.
"My eyesight is very, very good, and I can judge distance
and height accurately."
A Columbian reporter who tried to catch up with Mr.
Beauregard but he was not at his work. He was seen
along Columbia street early this morning but the reporter
was unable to find him to get his story of the cavorting
crockery.
Mrs. Beauregard said she knew little of what her
husband saw.
"My husband said that he saw a shiny, round disc,
bigger than most and sort of squared off on one side.
(Interesting! See descriptions of the crashed Roswell
saucer--J.T.) That's all I really know about it."
Others laying claim to having seen the "saucers"
were Mrs. V.M. Bailey, Mrs. Edward Vere and Mrs.
Carol Watkins, who were sitting on the steps of the Old
Orchard Auto Camp about 4 p.m. Sunday when they
saw "a cloud of dust like two small tornadoes on the
hill toward New Westminster."
According to their report, three discs then pulled
up from behind the trees." (See the newspaper The
Columbian for July 8, 1947. Many thanks to Bill Oliver
and the gang at UFO*BC for making this old news
clipping available at their website.)
1947: AIRLINER CREW SEES
FIVE FLYING SAUCERS
Concluding our celebration of the Great UFO Flap
of 1947, here's another actual news story from the
period, featuring a first-person account by Captain
E.J. Smith of United Airlines Flight 105, whose
plane encountered five flying discs over Emmett,
Idaho on July 4, 1947. Enjoy!
Seattle, July 5--(INS)--I didn't believe the stories
about flying disks myself when I first heard about
them. Now I don't know what to believe.
We were on our regular run from Salt Lake City
to Seattle, just eight minutes out of Boise, when my
co-pilot, First Officer Ralph Stevens, who was flying
at the time, blinked our landing lights.
I asked him what he was doing, and he replied,
"There's a plane approaching off our bow."
But a few seconds later we both decided the
object was not a plane, it was a flying disk.
We saw only one of them at first, but soon four
more appeared to the left of our plane, in a
northwesterly direction.
We couldn't tell what their exact shape was
except to notice that they were definitely larger
than our plane (a Douglas DC-3--J.T.), fairly flat,
smooth on the bottom and rough on top.
Just to check, I called our stewardess,
(Martine) Marty Morrow to the cockpit, and simply
asked her: "Do you see anything in the sky
around us?"
Immediately she pointed at the disks and said,
"Yes, what are those?"
That's what we wanted to know, so I contacted
our ground radio station at nearby Ontario, Ore.
(Oregon) and gave them our estimated direction
and altitude, and asked if they could see them.
They couldn't.
Shortly thereafter, the disks disappeared for a
few minutes, then reappeared again. This time
they were in our view for 15 minutes.
None of our eight passengers saw the disks
because they were off our bow, and we didn't
think to turn the plane, so intense was our
interest.
It was impossible to estimate their speed
or if they were moving at all. All I know is that
when they did disappear, they vanished suddenly.
In all the time Ralph and I were flying during
the war (World War II--J.T.), and in my 14 years
with United Airlines, I've never seen anything like it.
Up until last night, we all had discounted 90
percent of the reports we'd read in the papers or
heard over the radio, but now--
Frankly, I'm baffled.
1947: EIGHT SAUCERS LAND
IN IDAHO
As we continue our celebration of the 50th Anniversay
of the UFO Flap of 1947, here's another actual AP news
story from the period:
Spokane, Wash., July 5 - (AP) - Eight flying saucers
were reported today to have made a landing on a
mountainside near St. Maries, Idaho in full view of 10
persons.
Mrs. Walter Johnson of suburban Dishman said the
saucers came down in timber there Thursday evening
(July 3, 1947) but had not been reported until she
returned to her home in Dishman today.
The saucers were seen to fall near Butler's Bay on
the St. Joe River six miles (9 kilometers) west of St.
Maries, where Mrs. Johnson was visiting her parents.
She said they came into view at an extreme speed,
traveling from the south to the north. Suddenly, they
slowed, she said, and then "fluttered like leaves to the
ground."
"The mysterious part was that we couldn't see
them after the landing," said Mrs. Johnson. "We could
see them flutter down into the timber, yet we couldn't
see that they did anything to the trees."
Both the CAA (now the Federal Aviation Administration)
and the Army Air Corps (now the U.S. Air Force) officials
were notified of the incident but no immediate plans for an
air search of the area were announced." (See the
Providence, R.I. Journal for July 6, 1947, page 3.)
(Editor's Note: On July 3, 1947, a silver disc with a small
dome on top flew over Vassouras, a small city about
40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of Rio de Janeiro,
then the capital of Brazil. Among the witnesses was
a young woman named Irene Granchi, who went on to
become the "mother of Brazilian ufology.")
1947: JUST BEFORE ROSWELL
The Roswell incident of fifty years ago came at the
high point of a UFO flap that began earlier in the
spring of 1947. Here are a few of the incidents
that took place back then.
May 5, 1947 - "A silvery object was reported to
have fallen out of the sky and disintegrated over
Washington state (USA)."
May 18, 1947 - "Several observers in Richmond,
Virginia, saw a flat, white, cigar-shaped object speed
across the sky at sunset, heading north-west."
May 19, 1947 - "Between 12:15 and 1:15 p.m., a
silvery object was seen approaching from the north-
west toward Manitou Springs, Colorado. It halted,
remained motionless for some minutes, and then
started 'dancing' - performing complex aerobautics.
Finally it rose and flew out of sight, against the wind."
June 10, 1947 - "At 11 p.m., at Douglas,
Arizona, Mrs. Coral (E.) Lorenzen watched a light
rise from across the Mexican border, assume a
spherical shape and disappear among the stars.
The sighting lasted 10 seconds." Mrs. Lorenzen
and her husband, Jim, subsequently founded the
Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO).
(All quotes were taken from Peter Brookesmith's
excellent book, UFO - THE COMPLETE SIGHTINGS,
Barnes & Noble Books, New York, N.Y. 1995.,
page 37. This is the book that should be in every
ufologist's library. They're still on sale at your local
Barnes & Noble bookstore, so check it out.)
1909: AIRSHIP FLIES OVER
DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND
(This week, we continue our look at New Zealand's
"airship invasion" of July 1909. Many thanks to N.Z.
ufologist Murray Bott for making these old news
stories available.)
"On July 28, (1909) an airship apparently came down
over the city of Dunedin (on New Zealand's South Island--
J.T.). A resident in the North Eastern Valley reported
that he was awakened in the early hours by a peculiar
noise which he took to be an earthquake."
"'I was awakened by a horrible noise at about two
o'clock this morning,' he told a reporter. 'The noise was
like a ship dragging her anchor up or a windlass of a
steamer with dry-gear wheels working. I got up and went
round to the front and I saw something floating up past
Knox College. It was a great black thing with a
searchlight attached.'" (See the Dunedin, N.Z. Star for
July 28, 1909., page 1)
1909: AIRSHIP RETURNS TO
BALCLUTHA, N.Z.
(Continuing our look back at the 1909 "airship
invasion" of New Zealand, we present another actual
news story from the period. Again, many thanks to
New Zealand ufologist Murray Bott for these items.)
On Tuesday (July 27, 1909) about 10 a.m., Mr.
Allan Mitchell, son of J.R. Mitchell, of Lambourne,
and Mr. Alex Riach, while working at Lambourne near
the mouth of the Pomehaka River, saw high in the air
apparently over Messrs. Begg Bros. at Pukepeto a
large boat-shaped structure floating in the air. It
appeared to be coming straight toward them, and they
expected it to come over their heads in the direction
of the Blue Mountains. It dipped up and down in the
air with an easy motion, and they could see it easily
and had a good view of it, the distance being about
two and one half miles and pretty high in the air.
Their first impressions as to its shape were confirmed.
It was distinctly boat-shaped and they could see on the
top of it what appeared to be a long pole. It continued
with a dipping and ascending motion towards them for
some time and then swerved to the left and recrossed
the river and headed across by Whitelea and disappeared.
(See the Clutha Leader of Balclutha, South Island, N.Z.
for July 30, 1909.)
1909: SOUTH ISLAND REPORTS
SEVERAL SIGHTINGS
(Here are some more items from the little-known New
Zealand "airship flap" of July 1909. Again, many thanks
to New Zealand ufologist Murray Bott for sending us
these items.)
On July 31, 1909, there was a UFO incident during
the early morning hours at Greenvale, near Gore, South
Island, N.Z. While feeding the horses, a Greenvale
farmhand "heard a strange whirring sound which
frightened the animals. On looking out, he saw an
airship overhead about 150 feet long. It had head and
tail lights and was moving so fast that, when he woke up
his mates, the lights were faint in the distance. (See the
Matsura Ensign of Gore, N.Z. for August 1, 1909.)
Also, early that morning, a resident of Grosvenor
Street in Dunedin "reported seeing an airship. At one
stage, he saw a light (bright yellow) shoot up what
looked like a mast and stay at the top." (See the
Dunedin, N.Z. Star for August 2, 1909.)
The afternoon of July 31, 1909, a resident of
Fairfax "reported seeing an airship while he was at
Akatore. At 4:55 p.m., he saw a dark object shoot
over the brow of the hills in the east and rapidly
climb towards the west. He got a side view of the
object which he described as cigar-shaped but
bulkier, with a box-like structure underneath in the
centre." (See the Bruce Herald for August 2, 1909.)
1909: AIRSHIP BUZZES A BEACH
IN NEW ZEALAND
Eighty-eight years ago, New Zealand was repeatedly
visited by UFOs, then known as "airships." Thanks to
New Zealand ufologist and longtime ROUNDUP reader
Murray Bott, we are able to present actual newspaper
stories from this little-known flap.
On Saturday night (July 24, 1909), some half dozen
boys were playing on the beach at Kaka Point near
Mr. Bates (residence) and saw a huge illuminated
object moving about in the air.
It appeared as if it was going to alight at Kaka
Point. The light from it was distinctly reflected on the
roof of Mr. Fitzgerald's cottage. They boys thought it
was being attracted by their lantern and left it on the
beach. The airship then glided around the rocks at
the old pilot station and nearly came in contact with
them. It shortly afterwards disappeared. The boys
said it was as big as a house.
On Sunday night (July 25, 1909) the mysterious
object again made its appearance at the beach and
was seen by Mr. George Smith and Mr. Poulter
about 8:30. Mr. Smith viewed it through a very powerful
night glass. It was apparently over Mr. Aitkenhead's
house when he first saw it, but it glided high in the air
and sailed north in the direction of Kaitangata,
swooping west and east and finally disappearing
over the horizon.
About 10:30 Mr. Smith was called out by Mr. Poulter
to see the airship which again had made its appearance.
This time it headed out to sea and eventually disappeared.
As seen through the glass, Mr. Smith said it appeared to
be a fair size, dark superstructure with a powerful
headlight and two smaller ones (lights) at the side.
(See the Clutha Leader of Balclutha, South Island, New
Zealand for July 27, 1909.)
1909:
AIRSHIP FLIES OVER SCHOOL IN KELSO, N.Z.
(This week we continue our look at the little-known airship flap in New Zealand of late July 1909.
Many thanks to ufologist Murray Bott for these reports.)
On July 19, 1909, three residents of Oamaru, a town of the coast of New Zealand's South Island
approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Kaka Point, reported "a flickering light" moving
about in the sky.
Four days later, on July 23, 1909, "a small group of schoolchildren and some residents reported
that an airship came down and bobbed around in the sky over the school for a few minutes." This
incident took place in Kelso, S.I., New Zealand.
A reporter for the Otago Daily Times went to Kelso, interviewed the witnesses, and submitted this
report: "All those scholars who saw the ship were interrogated singly and independently and were
asked to draw an impression of what they had seen. The result was six drawings, the degree of
resemblance and unanimity of which was nothing short of dumbfounding to all sceptics. Special
interrogation of the boys revealed the fact that none had drawn the diagram before not had they
been interested in airships prior to witnessing this one. One of the boys in addition to the side view
was able to draw it from beneath as the ship passed over his head. This showed two sails on each
side. One boy drew a revolving propellor at the rear." (See the Otago Daily Times for July 31,
1909.)
1908: SPHERICAL UFO HOVERS
OVER BRIDGEWATER
One of the best-documented UFO sightings of the
"Airship Era" took place in Bridgewater, Massachusetts
during the early morning hours of October 31, 1908.
The chief witnesses were two undertakers, John E.
Flynn and Philip S. Prophett, who were driving a horse-
drawn carriage shortly after 3 a.m. on Main Street
from West Bridgewater to the center of Bridgewater.
Here is Flynn's eyewitness account:
"We saw the light, not exactly a searchlight but
an unusually strong lantern of some sort, over the
Stanley (Iron) works. We stopped the team and
for ten minutes watched it, and saw it was moving
and coming nearer and nearer to earth. At last,
with the stars' light, and occasional bits of light
from the lantern, we caught a glimpse of the shape
of the balloon. We shouted towards it but heard
no response or sound of any sort."
"The balloon dropped down, and the light moved
about, perhaps as though they were trying to get
their bearings. Then it slowly rose and moved
directly to the east, or slightly south of east. We
followed it with our eyes for a long time."
"Even after I got home, I sat in my room and
watched it from the window for half to three-quarters
of an hour. I knew that from the direction it was
going it would reach the sea in 25 miles or so, and
I expected to see it drop down."
"It did not drop. Instead it kept steadily on,
and I was surprised at how straight a line it kept.
I was watching from a window and between two
branches of a big tree some 50 to 60 feet away.
It never deviated from the line to pass outside
the branches, except once, just before I gave up
the watch because the room was so chilly."
In the days following, local residents attributed
the "mystery balloon" to a hot-air balloon sent up
from the fairground in nearby Brockton, Mass.
Irritated by this, Flynn wrote a letter to the Brockton
Times and offered further testimony.
"It was not a searchlight, as was erroneously
stated in the newspapers, but seemed to be about
two feet and a half in diameter. I could see the
outline of the large bag for it remained stationary
and then moved up and down seemingly at the
will of some individual."
"I claim that a hot-air balloon could not move
in a circle or perpendicular, as this one did...When
first seen, it hovered above the Stanley Iron Works,
seemingly about 100 feet from the ground, but
when we returned (to Bridgewater at 3:10 a.m.)
it was going in the direction of Plymouth. Prophett
called his father, and he got up to watch this
lighted bird, as it soared slowly away. All were in
their right minds, and several reputable citizens of
the town have since told me that they also are sure
it was not a hot-air balloon, William Prophett
(Phil's father) included." (See the Brockton, Mass.
Times for October 31, 1908, "Mysterious Balloon
Over Bridgewater," page 1; the weekly Bridgewater,
Mass. Independent for November 6, 1908, "A
Mysterious Air Ship," page 1; and the New York
Times for November 1, 1908, "Can't Find Strange
Balloon," page 1. See also THE COMPLETE BOOKS
OF CHARLES FORT, Dover Press, N.Y. 1974,
page 507.)
May 1897:
AN AIRSHIP VISITS WINNIPEG
One hundred years ago, on Saturday, May 1,
1897, "a mysterious airship," as UFOs were then
called, flew over Winnipeg, the capital of Canada's
Manitoba province, then a city of 40,000 people.
Here are some excerpts from a news story
of the period:
"Saturday night (May 1, 1897) was the date
chosen for the appearance of the airship, and the
lights of the mysterious machine were in full view
of many citizens for a full fifteen minutes."
"The strange visitor" approached from the west,
following the Assiniboine River, "out of a starry sky."
The boys at Howard's Drugstore watched the
UFO "mystified by the strange vision...Only the
bare outlines of some dark object could be seen
besides the strange heaven light, evidently from the
'masthead' of the aerial craft. There can be no doubt
about the presence of the strange vision on
Saturday night, as its transit was witnessed by
many reputable citizens," including Manitoba's
provincial lieutenant governor.
After passing over St. Boniface Hospital, the
UFO veered sharply to the north and "was lost from
view" as it flew toward the town of Stony Mountain.
(See the Vancouver, B.C. News-Advertiser for
May 2, 1897)
(Editor's Note: By May 1897, the airship flap in the
USA was winding down. But the Winnipeg sighting
was the kick-off for a flap in Manitoba and British
Columbia that reached its peak during July and
August of 1897. If any Canadian readers have
photocopies of those 1897 airship stories, please
send them to the ROUNDUP's snail-mail address,
so I can do some features this summer. Thanks!)
1897: AIRSHIP SIGHTING IN KANSAS
Here's the actual newspaper report of a UFO
incident that took place in the northwest corner of
Kansas one hundred years ago.
"April 2, 1897 - Reports That It Has Been Seen
Again by Kansas People - Kansas City, Mo. The
mysterious air ship seen often in Kansas during the
past two weeks was seen again last night (April 1,
1897) at Everest, Brown County, in the northwestern
part of the state. It was first observed about 9:30
o'clock by two or three persons. At that time only the
brilliant headlights were visible, but a few minutes later,
as it came nearer, the outline of its huge framework
and what seemed to be an enormous cigar, came
plainly into view. By this time, half the citizens in town
were viewing the sky."
"The ship was seemingly erratic in its movements.
Instead of moving in a straight line, it rode up and down,
now to the left, and again to the right, but always,
apparently, under absolute control. When first observed,
it was coming from the north. It was in sight fully 15
minutes, disappearing far towards the south. On each
previous occasion, when the ship has been seen, it has
come from the north in the early evening and returned
in the early morning. In all expectation that this program
will be repeated, a good number of the citizens of Everest
will remain out all night, hoping for another glance at the
mysterious visitor." (See the Evening Times of
Pawtucket, R.I. for April 2, 1897, "That Western Airship,"
page 2.)
A SIMILAR FOSSIL-ENCRUSTED METEOR HIT EARTH IN 1888
Early in 1888, a colorful green meteor appeared in the night sky over Middleburg,
Florida, 20 miles southwest of Jacksonville. Several witnesses watched it hit the
ground in an old cultivated farm field south of town. Approaching the smoking crater,
they found what looked like "a 200-pound block of limestone."
A few months later, the mystery meteorite was exhibited at the Sub-Tropical Exposition
and then went on display in Jacksonville. The stone was examined by a Dr. Hahn, who
claimed to have found "miniature fossils" of corals, crinoids and shells, "all of them of
microscopic size" in the rock. Dr. Hahn photographed these microfossils of extraterrestrial life,
wrote an article about them, and published both in Popular Science 20-83. News of the Middleburg
meteor strike was reported in Science 11-118.
Dr. Hahn was roundly condemned by the scientific community for such heresy. In Knowledge
1-258, Dr. Lawrence Smith wrote, "Dr. Hahn is a kind of half-insane man, whose imagination
has run away with him." Dr. Smith, who never examined the actual meteor, advanced the opinion
that the fossils were actually "crystals of enstatite."
The Middleburg, Florida meteor and Dr. Hahn were rescued from oblivion by that indefatigable
"foe of science," Charles Fort, who wrote about them in his 1919 work BOOK OF THE DAMNED.
(See THE BOOKS OF CHARLES FORT, Dover Press 1974, pages 79 and 80.)
April
1897: AIRSHIP LANDS IN IOWA
Here's the actual news story of the UFO that
reportedly landed outside Waterloo, Iowa on
April 17, 1897.
"Waterloo, Iowa April 17 - This region is much
excited over an airship or a large vessel designed to
leave the impression that it is a flying machine."
"It was first observed here at dawn yesterday
(April 16, 1897). The stranger in charge says it is a
flying machine and he landed here to make some
repairs and that he will resume his voyage in the air
to-day. He keeps all people at a distance of several
hundred yards from the machine and therefore many
do not credit his story, but think it is a fake designed
to create a sensation."
"Just what object the man has to gain is a
mystery, as he has not asked for money from the
hundreds who have visited the field to take a look
at the thing."
"The structure is about 40 feet long (13 meters),
constructed like a giant cigar, with wing-like
attachments on the sides and a steering apparatus
in the rear."
"The whole is surmounted by a cupola, or
lookout cabin, on the roof. The queer craft appears
to be built of canvas and to be heavily varnished."
"A pipe leading from the cone constantly emits
vapor, as if the motive power were steam. The man
in charge is a stranger hereabouts and carries a
rifle to keep the people from too closely examining
the machine. He secured permission from the farmer
upon whose land he is to keep the machine there for
a few days."
"The man says he is on a voyage around the world
but was forced to alight for repairs and that if the
people do not believe he can fly through the air they
can wait and he will give them a free exhibition."
(See the Evening Times of Pawtucket, Rhode Island
for April 17, 1897, page 6.)
January 1897
LITTLE SAUCER ON THE PRAIRIE
This coming week marks the 100th Anniversary of one of the earliest UFO sightings in the United
States. The flap took place during the last days of January 1897 in the town of Hastings,
Nebraska, 160 miles (256 kilometers) southwest of Omaha.
According to the Kansas Semi-Weekly Capital of March 31, 1897, the UFO was seen the
morning of Sunday, January 24, 1897. People thought a mysterious inventor was experimenting
with an "airship" about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of the small city. The UFO circled for a few
minutes and then zoomed away to the north.
Here's the story as it appeared in the Omaha, Nebraska Bee for February 2, 1897: "Several
Hastings people report that an air ship, or something of the kind, has been sailing around in the air
west of this city. It was first noticed sometime last fall when it was seen floating in the air about
500 feet (175 meters) above the ground, and after standing still for about 30 minutes, it began to
to circle about and took a northerly direction for about two miles, after which it returned to its
starting place and sank into oblivion."
"Since that time it has not been seen until last Sunday evening, when it was observed standing
nearly still, a few miles west of Hastings and seemingly about 800 feet in the air."
"At first sight it had the appearance of an immense star, but after closer observation the powerful
light shows by its color to be artificial. It certainly must be illuminated by powerful electric
dynamos for the light sent forth by it is wonderful."
"At 9:30 last Monday night (January 25, 1897) the large glaring light was seen to circle around for
a few minutes and then descended for about 200 feet, circling as it traveled at a remarkable speed
for about two miles and then slowing up it circled for fully 15 minutes, when it began to lower and
disappear as mysteriously as it had made its appearance...A close watch is being kept for its
reappearance."
On February 5, 1897, the Omaha Bee reported that the UFO had been sighted again, this time at
Invale, a tiny farm town 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Hastings, near the Kansas state line.
The UFO was seen by people returning from a prayer meeting.
"It (the UFO) seemed to be conical-shaped and perhaps 30 to 40 feet in length, with a bright
headlight and six smaller lights, three on a side, and seemed to have two sets of wings on a side,
with a large fan-shaped rudder," the Bee reported. The Invale witnesses claimed to have heard
rumbling engine noises and the voices of the "airship's" occupants. (See the Omaha, Nebraska
Bee for February 2 and February 5, 1897, plus the Kansas Semi-Weekly Capital of Topeka,
Kansas for March 31, 1897 "Strange Light in the Sky.")
That's it for this week. American readers, check the clock. It's six hours to Superbowl XXXI.
(Go Pats!) Back next week with more news from "the paper that covers the saucers--UFO
ROUNDUP."
1733: DAYLIGHT DISC FLIES
OVER DORSET
On December 8, 1733, James Cracker of Fleet,
a small town in Dorset, England, saw a silvery disc
fly overhead in broad daylight. Here is his
eyewitness account:
"Something in the sky which appeared in the
north but vanished from my sight, as it was
intercepted by trees, from my vision. I was standing
in a valley. The weather was warm, the sun shone
brightly. On a sudden it re-appeared, darting in and
out of my sight with an amazing coruscation. The
colour of this phenomenon was like burnished, or
new-washed silver. It shot with speed like a star
falling in the night. But it had a body much larger
and a train longer than any shooting star I have seen."
"Next day Mr. Edgecombe informed me that he
and another gentleman had seen this strange
phenomenon at the same time as I had. It was
about 15 miles from where I saw it, and steering
a course from east to north." (See MYSTERIES
OF THE UNEXPLAINED, Reader's Digest
Association, February 1985, page 210.)
UFOs From the Past ..1970's !
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