| ID | #1632239168 |
| Added | Tue, 21/09/2021 |
| Author | July N. |
| Sources | The Globe and Mail
|
| Phenomena | |
| Status | Research
|
Initial data
Flying discs apparently scattered across North America on Sunday evening, as reports continued to arrive from people who claimed to have seen strange flying "saucers".
Reports of the discovery of the disks on Sunday came from Wallasburg in Southwestern Ontario; Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; Rochester, New York; Long Island, Idaho and Chicago.
However, an officer of the Oregon National Guard said that air patrols on Sunday did not notice any of the objects.
A woman from Spokane, Washington, said 10 people saw eight disks land near Saint Marie, Idaho, on July 3.
A woman from Hagerstown, Maryland, said she saw five people walking east in formation at "amazing speed." She said they "roared with a sound like a distant train."
The US Army Air Forces have put jet and conventional fighter jets on alert in areas of the Pacific coast in the hope of catching and identifying mysterious objects, but there were no official reports on Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, many people voluntarily explained what these disks are. In Britain, the whole story was ridiculed as " America's answer to the Loch Ness monster."
In Syracuse, New York, Dr. Harry A. Steckel, a consultant in psychiatry, did not take into account the element of" mass hysteria " in connection with these reports.
"They have been seen by too many people in too many different places to be dismissed so easily," he said in a radio broadcast.
Dr. Aurel Azel, editor of a Hungarian-language newspaper in Philadelphia, suggested that the disks could be mirages.
Professor Kirtley F. Mazer, a geologist at Harvard, said in Boston that the disks "are definitely an artificial phenomenon."
All three Canadian maritime provinces reported drives over the weekend. Ewan McNeil of Village Green, PEI, said his attention was drawn to "a very bright light in the sky - it was brighter than the sun." He added that the light seemed to "come from a black object directly in front of the light." He also added that the black object resembled a rocket or a wingless plane.
But the most numerous reports of flying disks came from the western United States.
The commandant of the Air Force, General Karl Spaatz, was in the northwest Pacific Ocean, where most of the strange objects were reported to have been seen. The disks were reported in Canada from both coasts, from Vancouver, British Columbia, a few days ago and from Summerside, PEI; St. John, North Carolina, and Ottawa last Friday.
Dozens of residents of Wallasburg, Ontario, also reported seeing disc formations on Saturday evening. It is said that two of them flew over a large arc in the sky, refuting the theory that they were reflections of the Selfridge Field searchlights.
Residents of the Canadian bank of the St. Clair River also reported seeing disks for more than an hour.
Last week, the "flying saucers" appeared over Ottawa for the second time. It is reported that one of them was seen last Friday by Mr. and Mrs. Larry Laviolette and V. A. Bond.
Mr. Bond described the object as " round, bluish-white, sparkling on the horizon at an amazing speed. It seemed the size of a dinner plate. As it rose higher into the sky, we could see a long white tail flowing. behind us."
"Suddenly, it completely split into two parts. The two pieces continued to stand side by side for a split second, and then completely disintegrated. All this took no more than three seconds."
An Air Force spokesman in Washington said that Spaatz did not go to the Pacific Coast to investigate, but simply to speak in Seattle and inspect the airfield in Tacoma.
A P-80 jet fighter at Murok Army Airfield in California and six fast conventional fighters in Portland, Oregon, were ready to take off immediately if flying saucers were spotted in these areas. Some of the planes carried photographic equipment.
Louis F. Starr, the commander-in-chief of Veterans of foreign wars, told reporters in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, as he understood, General Spaatz "sent a group right now" trying to identify the disks.
Both official and scientific comments were marked by a cautious attitude, but Captain Tom Brown of the public relations department of the US Air Force in Washington admitted that the Air Force decided that "there is something in this" and checked it for 10 days.
"And we still have no idea what these (disks) can be." he added.
It was reported that today eight flying saucers landed on the mountainside near Saint Marie, Idaho, in full view of 10 people. Ms Walter Johnson, from Dishman, said the saucers fell there in the woods on Thursday evening, but it was not reported until she returned to her home in Dishman today.
The plates were seen falling near Butlers Bay on the St. Joe River, six miles west of St. Marie, where Mrs. Johnson was visiting her parents. She said that they came into view at great speed, moving from south to north. Suddenly, they slowed down, she said, and then "flew like leaves to the ground."
"The mysterious part was that we couldn't see them after they landed," Mrs Johnson said. She said the items were saucer-shaped, but thicker than she expected, and looked more like a dish basin than disks. She described them as "the size of a five-room house."
Mrs. Johnson said she would be back here on Tuesday and hoped to climb into the woods and look for objects.
First discovered on June 25 and met with scornful laughter, since then, observers in 33 states have reported about the objects daily. It was reported that most of the objects were seen on July 4. Several objects were reported on Saturday.
Competent observers as such, airline pilots stated that they saw completely inexplicable disks or saucers, larger than the plane, and flying in a "loose formation" at high speed.
David Lilienthal, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, said that they had nothing to do with atomic experiments, and army and Navy officials also denied responsibility.
Captain Brown said the Air Force is not conducting an official investigation. However, the official interest was no longer accidental.
"We do not believe that anyone in this country or outside of it has developed a guided missile that will reach a speed of 1200 miles per hour, as indicated in some reports," said an Air Force public relations specialist.
In the reports, everyone agreed that the flying objects were round or oval. Estimates of their speed ranged from 300 to 1200 miles per hour. They were described as flying with undulating motion at an altitude of 10,000 feet or less. Some described them as glowing or glowing.
In Ottawa, a new theory was put forward by J. H. Parkin, an employee of the National Research Council. He said that fog or fog in the upper rooms can reflect sunlight, which can lead to something resembling a spot in the sky.
The British were inclined to scoff at air phenomena. They believe that although sane citizens in vast areas of North America have seen flying saucers, Europe will not believe in them until someone lassoes one and takes a picture of it Frank Sinatra, the British ambassador to Washington and five Supreme Court judges.
"America's answer to the Loch Ness monster," chuckled today's Sunday Dispatch, referring to the most ancient British history - a huge snake that was "seen" in Scottish Loch Ness, messing around every time tourists need a shot in the arm.
In a less mocking mood, Howard Blakesley, science editor of the Associated Press, speaks coldly about this. He attributes it to vision.
"At any distance," he says, " that is close to the limit of how far a person can see, all objects appear round or almost so." This law of vision applies both to small objects visible at close range, and to large ones at large distances.
Regardless of the shape, an object located on the border of visibility looks like a circle. If the object is located against a bright sky, as some flying saucers have been reported, then it is more likely to reveal its true shape.
If the object is visible in reflected light, as in most cases, it will almost certainly be round, and if the reflection is sunlight, then the specified dimensions correspond to the dimensions that one would expect from distant reflections of light.
Almost all the saucers are notable for the fact that they did not have a design - they just seemed round and flat. This description exactly corresponds to the tricks that the eyes play. This trick depends on the weather conditions and lighting.
This writer has seen flying saucers over Long Island Sound, not far from his home, not only this year, but also in previous years. They were round, bright, and moving fast. But they were not a mystery, because they were the light reflected from the bodies of the planes. which soon identified themselves by changing course and getting close enough to be clearly seen.Last week, this writer also saw one flying oval shape, which for a moment looked exactly like a photo of an oval object taken by Yeoman Frank Ryman north of Seattle, Washington. The Long Island Oval has turned into an airplane."
Original news
Toronto, Ontario, GLOBE AND MAIL, 7 July 1947, pages 1 & 2
Flying Saucers Seen From Coast to Coast
U.S. Alerts Air Forces Over Discs
By The Canadian Press
Flying discs apparently were all over North America Sunday night as reports kept flooding in from persons who claimed they had seen the strange, airborne "saucers."
Reports of discs being sighted Sunday came from Wallaceburg, in Southwestern Ontario; Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; Rochester, N.Y.; Long Island, Idaho, and Chicago.
However, an Oregon National Guard officer said that aerial patrols, Sunday, failed to sight any of the objects.
A Spokane, Wash., woman said that 10 persons saw eight discs land near St. Maries, Idaho, July 3.
A Hagerstown, Md., woman said she saw five travelling eastward in formation at "terrific speed." She said they "roared with a sound like a faraway train."
The United States Army air forces put jet and conventional fighters on the alert in Pacific coast areas in the hope of catching and identifying the mysterious objects, but nothing in an official way had been reported Sunday night.
Meanwhile, many persons were volunteering explanations of what the discs were. In Britain, the whole story was laughed off as "America's answer to the Loch Ness monster."
In Syracuse, N.Y., Dr. Harry A. Steckel, psychiatric consultant, discounted the element of "mass hysteria" in connection with the reports. "They have been seen by too many people in too many different places to be dismissed so lightly," he said in a radio broadcast.
Dr. Aurel Aezel, editor of a Hungarian language newspaper in Philadelphia, suggested that the discs might be mirages.
Prof. Kirtley F. Mather, Harvard geologist, said in Boston that the discs are "definitely a man-made phenomenon."
All three Canadian Maritime provinces reported discs during the week-end. Ewen McNeill of Village Green, P.E.I., said his attention was attracted to a "very bright light in the sky - it was brighter than the sun." He added that the light seemed "to come from a black object immediately ahead of the light." He also added that the black object resembled a rocket or wingless plane.
But the most numerous reports of flying discs came from the Western United States.
Gen. Carl Spaatz, air forces commandant, was in the Pacific Northwest, where the majority of the strange objects were reported seen. The discs have been reported in Canada from on both coasts, from Vancouver, B.C., some days ago and over Summerside, P.E.I.; Saint John, N.B., and Ottawa last Friday.
Scores of Wallaceburg, Ont., citizens also reported seeing disc formations, Saturday night. Two of them are said to have swung over a large arc in the sky, disproving a theory that they were reflections of Selfridge Field searchlights.
Residents on the Canadian bank of the St. Clair River also reported seeing the discs over a period of more than an hour.
The "flying saucers" made a second appearance over Ottawa last week. One was reported to have been seen last Friday by Mr. and Mrs. Larry Laviolette and V. A. Bond.
Mr. Bond described the object as "round, bluish-white and blazing across the horizon at a terrific speed. It seemed about the size of a dinner plate. As it rose higher into the sky, we could see a long, white tail streaming out behind."
"Suddenly, it broke completely in two. Both sections continued on side by side for a split second then completely disintegrated. The whole thing didn't take more than three seconds at the most."
An air forces spokesman in Washington said Spaatz had not gone to the Pacific coast to investigate, but merely to speak at Seattle and inspect an airfield at Tacoma.
A P-80 jet fighter at Muroc army airfield in California and six fast regular fighters at Portland, Ore., stood ready to take off on an instant's notice should any flying saucers be sighted in those areas. Some of the planes carried photographic equipment.
Louis F. Starr, commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, told reporters in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday he understood Gen. Spaatz had a "group out right now" attempting to identify the discs.
A cautious attitude marked both official and scientific comments but Capt. Tom Brown of the United States Air Forces public relations staff in Washington, acknowledged that the air forces had decided "there's something to this" and had been checking up on it for 10 days.
"And we still haven't the slightest idea what they (the discs) could be." he added.
Eight flying saucers today were reported to have made a landing on a mountainside near St. Maries, Idaho, in full view of 10 persons. Mrs. Walter Johnson of Dishman said the saucers came down in timber there Thursday evening, 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 west of St. Maries, where Mrs. Johnson was visiting her parents. She said they came into view at an extreme speed, travelling 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 they landed," said Mrs. Johnson. She said the objects were saucer-shaped but thicker than she had expected, resembling washtubs more than discs. She described them as "about the size of a five-room house."
Mrs. Johnson said she was going back to the area Tuesday and hoped to hike into the timber and search for the objects.
First sighted June 25 and greeted with scornful laughs, the objects have been reported every day since by observers in 33 states. Most of the objects were reported seen July 4. A few were reported Saturday.
Competent observers as such, airline pilots said they had seen the totally unexplained discs, or saucers, larger than aircraft and flying in "loose formation" at high speed.
David Lilienthal, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, said they had nothing to do with atomic experiments, and army and navy officials also entered positive disclaimers.
Captain Brown said the air forces were not making a formal investigation. Official interest, however, was no longer casual.
"We don't believe anyone in this country, or outside this country, has developed a guided missile that will go 1,200 miles an hour as some reports have indicated," said the air forces public relations man.
Reports generally agreed that the flying objects were round or oval. Estimates of their speed ranged from about 300 miles to 1,200 miles an hour. They were described as flying with an undulating motion at heights of 10,000 feet and less. Some described them as glowing, or luminous.
In Ottawa a new theory was advanced by J. H. Parkin, National Research Council official. He said fog or mist in the upper spaces could reflect sunlight, possibly causing something resembling a spot in the sky.
Britons were inclined to scoff at the aerial phenomena. They hold that though sober citizens over wide areas of North America have seen the flying saucers, Europe won't believe in them until somebody lassoes one and has it photographed by Frank Sinatra, the British Ambassador in Washington and five supreme court justices.
"America's reply to the Loch Ness monster," chortled today's Sunday Dispatch, referring to Britain's hoariest tall story - the vast serpent that is "seen" romping in Scotland's Loch Ness every time the tourist trade needs a shot in the arm.
In a less scoffing mood, Howard W. Blakeslee, science editor for the Associated Press, casts cold water on the subject. He puts it down to eyesight.
"At any distance," he says, "which is close to the limit of how far a person can see, all objects appear round or nearly so. This law of sight covers both small things seen near by and large ones at great distances.
"Regardless of shape, the object near the limit of sight looks round. If the thing is sihouetted against a bright sky, as some of the flying saucers have been reported, then it is more likely to reveal its true shape.
"If the thing is seen by reflected light, as in most cases, it is almost certain to be round, and if the reflections are sunlight, then the sizes reported are those which would be expected from distant light reflections.
"The one outstanding fact about virtually all the saucers in that they had no structure - they seemed merely round and flat. That description fits exactly with the tricks that eyes play. This trickiness varies with differences in weather and lighting.
"This writer has seen flying saucers over Long Island Sound, near his home, not only this year but in previous years. They were round, bright and moving fast. But they were no mystery, because they were light reflected from the bodies of airplanes that soon identified themselves by changing course and coming near enough to be seen distinctly. Last week this writer also saw one oval flying form which for a moment looked exactly like the photograph of the oval object taken by Yeoman Frank Ryman North of Seattle, Wash. The Long Island oval turned into an airplane.
Hypotheses
Investigation
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