Sightings 1900-1946
Report from U.S.A. War Department Monthly Weather Review,
March 1904:
REMARKABLE METEORS
By Lieut. FRANK H. SCHOFIELD, U. S. Navy.
The following report, as kindly communicated by the editor
of the Pilot Chart, is dated U. S. S. Supply, at sea, latitude 36 deg. 20'
north; longitude 127 deg. 36' west, February 28, 1904:
1. I have the honor to report that three somewhat remarkable
meteors were observed from this ship at 6:10 a.m. (Greenwich mean time 3 hours
12 minutes) February 28, 1904, in latitude 35 deg. 58' north, longitude 128
deg. 36' west.
2. The meteors appeared near the horizon and below the clouds,
traveling in a group from northwest by north (true) directly toward the ship.
At first their angular motion was rapid and color a rather bright red. As
they approached the ship they appeared to soar, passing above the clouds at
an elevation of about 45 deg. After rising above the clouds their angular
motion became less and less until it ceased, when they appeared to be moving
directly away from the earth at an elevation of about 75 deg. and in direction
west-northwest (true). It was noted that the color became less pronounced
as the meteors gained in angular elevation.
3. When sighted, the largest meteor was in the lead, followed
by the second in size at a distance of less than twice the diameter of the
larger, and then by the third in size at a similar distance from the second
in size. They appeared to be traveling in echelon, and so continued as long
as in sight.
4. The largest meteor had an apparent area of about six suns.
It was egg-shaped, the sharper end forward. This end was jagged in outline.
The after end was regular and full in outline.
5. The second and third meteors were round and showed no imperfections in
shape. The second meteor was estimated to be twice the size of the sun in
appearance, and the third meteor about the size of the sun.
6. When the meteors rose there was no change in relative positions; nor was
there at any time any evidence of rotation or tumbling of the larger meteor.
7. I estimated the clouds to be not over one mile high.
8. The near approach of these meteors to the surface and the subsequent flight
away from the surface appear to be most remarkable, especially so as their
actual size could not have been great. That they did come below the clouds
and soar instead of continuing their southeasterly course is also equally
certain, as the angular motion ceased and the color faded as they rose. The
clouds in passing between the meteors and the ship completely obscured the
former. Blue sky could be seen in the intervals between the clouds.
9. The meteors were in sight over two minutes and were carefully observed
by three people, whose accounts agree as to details. The officer of the deck,
Acting Boatswain Frank Garvey, U.S. Navy, sighted the meteors and watched
them until they disappeared. He sent a messenger to me who brought an unintelligible
message. When I arrived on the bridge the meteors had been obscured for about
one-half of a minute.
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Article from The Cambrian Natural Observer and Record of
the Astronomical Society of Wales For 1905. Edited by Arthur Mee:
MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS
Most people are aware that many strange lights were reported
in Wales during 1905. Some of these were subjective and accompanied the intense
mental and moral excitement induced by the Revival. Lights of this character
are of course wholly outside the province of a publication dealing with purely
natural phenomena, and are best left in the judicious hands of the Psychical
Research Society. Other lights were, however, reported, e.g., one on the evening
of March 29th, which as seen by several persons at Llanishen was in the south-east
and took the appearance of a luminous beam. The observers were certain it
was neither works glare nor searchlight. The matter being mentioned in the
Western Mail, several letters were forthcoming.
Mr.T.Skeats, of Whitchurch, says he watched the band of light
for some time and was much struck by it.
Mr.J.Ansaldo, Tymawr Road, Llandaff, writes that on the evening in question
about 10 o'clock he saw in the south south-east what at first looked like
a long cluster of stars obscured by a thin film or mist. It gradually grew
brighter and brighter until it looked like an incandescent light, and lasted
for about 25 or 30 minutes. Mr.Ansaldo saw several people watching it.
Mr.J.Havard, Peterson-super-Ely, says he and several others saw the light,
which looked like an iron bar heated to an orange-coloured glow, suspended
vertically. The time was 10.30, and the direction one point northerly of east.
These accounts are explicit; but others less so, or referring to other lights
or on other dates, are to hand from Mrs.James Thomas, Haverfordwest; Mr.Jesse
Williams, the well-known Cardiff chemist; Mrs.Wm.H.Yeo, Talbot Street, Cardiff;
Mr.E.Saitham, St.David's, and Mrs.Beachas, Hoel Senny, Breconshire.
We have no explanation to offer of these strange gleams, beams and glows
occurring to the south. The above phenomenon was seen about the same time
as certain lights at Cherbourg, which after a vast deal of twaddle had appeared
in the press turned out to be nothing more than the planet Venus!! Undoubtedly
there are outbursts of light at times which are puzzling to account for, and
which are not of artificial origin, though great care has to be taken not
to mistake searchlight or furnace glare or the like for natural phenomena.
Here is another mysterious phenomenon, reported in the S.W.Daily News
of Sept.4th: - Shortly after four o'clock on Saturday afternoon a crowd of
persons noticed a remarkable object approaching in the heavens from the direction
of Merionethshire and crossing the town of Llangollen. The unknown and puzzling
object glided majestically over the Vale of Llangollen, and was evidently
about two miles from the earth's surface. When over the district from the
School House at Vroncysyllte powerful field glasses were directed to the object,
which travelled at a speed of approximately 20 miles an hour and was intensely
black. It possessedort wings and evidently gained impetus to its progress
through the air by casually inclining sideways. The curiosity possessed four
legs apparently, and disappeared over Wynnslay Park towards Overton and making
for Cheshire. The strange object was at least 10ft. in width, glided along
with a strong wind. It resembled a huge pig with webbed feet, averred several
witnesses. Much speculation is rife as to what the mysterious object was.
[We have not heard it claimed as an outcome of the Revival. Ed. C.N.O.]
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Mr.P.Clancy, communication to Arthur Shuttlewood (February
1972):
'I have now gone seventy, yet well remember a bright winter
night in the year 1908 when standing outside my own window talking with my
brother and two others of my own age. The time was about 9 p.m. Suddenly I
saw a pretty large cigar-shaped object sail right over my head and vanish
over the houses opposite. It was not going at great speed and was dead silent
and of a bluish-red colour. I was really frightened and did not mention it
to the others. I thought they would have seen it for sure, but they must not
have, for they continued to chat normally.
I kept silent about it until this day, and was naturally intrigued
by the similarity of other recent accounts of objects seen in the sky that
are now printed in the press. My sighting took place in a small village in
West Cork, Eire, where no plane or even motor-car had been seen up to that
time.'
[Quoted in The Flying Saucerers (1976)]
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In the summer of 1910, a minister who'd returned home from
a church meeting was surprised when his yard was suddenly flooded with a white
light. He looked up to see a single-line formation of round, well-defined,
glowing white objects travelling at great speed across the sky.
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Coral E.Lorenzen Flying Saucers:The Startling Evidence
of the Invasion From Outer Space
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'..many who had seen unconventional objects in the past came
forward to relate the details of their observations. One of these was Gene
Holder, game warden in the Winslow-Tonto Rim area of Arizona. He told the
Bisbee Review of his sighting of a bright object which appeared to
be a "silver tin plate" soaring through theskies. The object appeared
to be only a few hundred feet above his head, and watching it pained his eyes.
Holder was riding horseback in the.. area when the incident took place in
1913 or 1914.'
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Item from The Toronto Daily Star, 10th February 1913:
R.A.
Adams, Knox Building, Says They Were Not Birds.
AND WEREN'T CLOUDS
Several occupants of the Knox Building, Wellington
street west, were greatly excited about two o'clock when they descried what
they firmly believe to be a fleet of airships flying out over the lake beyond
the Island. Mr. R. A. Adams, of the Ladies Wear Co., speaking to The Star,
said:
At first I took the objects to be a peculiar
cloud formation, but when I called some others in they backed up my belief
that they were neither birds nor smoke. They passed across our range of
vision about the centre of the Queen's Hotel flag-pole and seemed to be
far out over the lake. There was no smoke nor snow at the time. Our vision
here on the fifth floor is limited by the Northway Building on the west
and the Irving Building on the east, and so we could not see how far east
they went.
They passed from west to east in three groups
of two each, and then returned west in a more scattered formation, about
seven or eight in all," said Mr. M .G. McTaggart, a clerk. Mr. W. J.
Duke also was sure they were airships.
Query: Were they sea-gulls, or big hawks,
--or-- ?
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Items from The Star, Johannesburg,
South Africa: August 24th & 31st 1914:
NIGHT LIGHTS
Probably a Box Kite
Inquiries made in many quarters as to the
appearance of an airship over the town last evening do not help matters
materially. A light or lights were undoubtedly seen by residents of the
Western and eastern Suburbs. As the lights ultimately disappeared in the
Sachseawald Plantation, it is believed that they were attached to a large
box kite. No solid matter of any kind was observable, as would be the case
if the object had been anything in the nature of an airship of any dimensions.
Parents who know that their children have box kites should not allow them
to experiment with such playthings while the war crisis lasts.
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THREE-COLOURED PLANET
The other night, writes the Brandford correspondent
of the "Bloemfontein Post," a strange phenomenon was noticed before
9.30. Venus was setting, and the light of the planet changed to a bright
red about every thirty seconds, changing again to a greenish hue and then
to a natural colour. This was witnessed by ten different people at the Wesleyan
Manse. As Venus when near the horizon, appears to set very quickly, is it
possible, if this change has taken place on previous occasions, that she
may have been taken for an aeroplane?
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From The English Mechanic, October
17th, 1919:
Some years ago, during Easter, returning
to Keswick from an ascent of Helvelly with a hotel acqauintance, we saw
lights, no doubt will o' the wisps. It was so dark that we had to probe
for the road walls with our sticks, when we were at a point near which the
track branches off to the Druidical Circle (the stone circle of Castlerigg).
Then, all at once we saw a rapidly moving
light, as bright as the acetylene bicycle lamp, and we instinctively stepped
to the road boundary wal to make way for it, but nothing came.
As a matter of fact, the light travelled
at right angles to the road, say 20 feet above our level, possibly 200 yards
or so away.
It was a white light, and having crossed
the road it suddenly went out... when we saw a number of lights, possibly
a third of a mile or so away, directly in the direction of the Castlerigg
stone circle, but of course much fainter, due to the distance. The lights
were moving backwards and forwards horizontally; we stood observing them
for a long time. Whilst we were watching... a remarkable incident happened,
one of the lights, and only one, came straight to the spot where we were
standing, at first very faint.
As it approached the light increased in intensity.
When it came quite near I was in no doubt whether I should stop below the
boundary wall, as the light would pass directly over us, but when it came
close to the wall it slowed down, stopped, quivered and disappeared. The
light was globular, white with a nucleus, possibly six feet or so in diameter,
and just high enough above the ground to pass over our heads.
[Secondary source - K.J.Parsons
in Alien Encounters 22]
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Excerpt of article by John Pinckney, published
in (Melbourne, Australia) Picture Post, June 8th, 1991 [Re-print
in FSR 39-2]:
'..Harry Roy saw his first flying saucer
in 1920, when he was six years old. "It was a huge silver oval, wingless
and silent," he recalled. "I watched it hovering very low over
our old top orchard - then it took off towards Nambour. Of course in those
days I had no idea what a UFO was, but from that time on I kept seeing them
- and finding their landing sites.
"In the 1930s, when I was moving cattle
around the Bribie Passage saltmarsh country, I'd often find scorched circles
up to 36 feet wide. They were a mystery to me until the 1950s, when all
the flying saucer stories began to appear in the papers."...'
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In the summer of 1934, in Barron, Wisconsin, nine-year-old
Coral Lorenzen observed - along with two other children - a glowing white
object in the sky. It resembled '..an open umbrella without the ribs or
spurs..,' and wobbled across the sky at a leisurely rate of speed, making
no sound.
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