Out from a round, red planet, a little white shaft—a fairy’s arrow shot
into an apple. June 10, 1892—a light like a little searchlight,
projecting from the limb of Mars. Upon July 11 and 13, it was seen
again, by Campbell and Hussey (_Nature_, 50-500).
Aug. 3, 1892—climacteric opposition of Mars.
Upon August 12, 1892, flashes were seen by many persons, in the sky of
England. See _Eng. Mec._, vol. 56. At Manchester, so like signals were
they, or so unlike anything commonly known as “auroral” were they, that
Albert Buss mistook them for flashes from a lighthouse. They were seen
at Dewsbury; described by a correspondent to the _English Mechanic_, who
wrote: “I have never seen such an appearance of an aurora.” “Rapid
flashes” reported from Loughborough.
* * * * *
A shining triangle in a dark circle.
In _L’Astronomie_, 1888-75, Dr. Klein publishes an account of de
Speissen’s observation of Nov. 23, 1887—a luminous triangle on the floor
of Plato. Dr. Klein says it was an effect of sunlight.
In this period, there were in cities of the United States, some of the
most astonishing effects at night, in the history of this earth. If
Rigel should run for the Presidency of Orion, and if the stars in the
great nebula should start to march, there would be a spectacle like
those that Grover Cleveland called forth in the United States, in this
period.
So then—at least conceivably—something similar upon the moon. Flakes of
light moving toward Plato, this night of Nov. 23, 1887, from all the
other craters of the moon; a blizzard of shining points gathering into
light-drifts in Plato; then the denizens of Aristarchus and of Kepler,
and dwellers from the lunar Alps, each raising his torch, marching upon
a triangular path, making the triangle shine in the dark—conceivably.
Other formations have been seen in Plato, but, according to my records,
this symbol that shone in the dark had never been seen before, and has
not been seen since.
About two years later—a demonstration of a more exclusive
kind—assemblage of all the undertakers of the moon. They stood in a
circular formation, surrounded by virgins in their nightgowns—and in
nightgowns as nightgowns should be. An appearance in Plinius, Sept. 13,
1889, was reported by Prof. Thury, of Geneva—a black spot with an
“intensely white” border.
March 30, 1889—a black spot that was seen for the first time, by
Gaudibert, near the center of Copernicus (_L’Astro._, 1890-235). May 11,
1889—an object as black as ink upon a rampart of Gassendi (_L’Astro._,
1889-275). It had never been reported before; at the time of the next
lunation, it was not seen again. March 30, 1889—a new black spot in
Plinius (_L’Astro._, 1890-187).
The star-like light of Aristarchus—it is a long time since latest
preceding appearance (May 7, 1867). Then it can not be attributed to
commonplace lunar circumstances. The light was seen, Nov. 7, 1891, by M.
d’Adjuda, of the Observatory of Lisbon—“a very distinct, luminous point”
(_L’Astro._, 11-33).
Upon April 1, 1893, a shaft of light was seen projecting from the moon,
by M. de Moraes, in the Azores. A similar appearance was seen, Sept. 25,
1893, at Paris, by Mr. Gaboreau (_L’Astro._, 13-34).
* * * * *
Another association like that of 1884—in the _English Mechanic_, 55-310,
a correspondent writes that, upon May 6, 1892, he saw a shining point
(not polar) upon Venus. Upon the 13th of August, 1892, the same
object—conceivably—was seen at a short distance from Venus—an unknown,
luminous object, like a star of the 7th magnitude that was seen close to
Venus, by Prof. Barnard (_Ast. Nach._, no. 4106).
Upon August 24, 1895, in the period of primary maximum brilliance of
Venus, a luminous object, it is said, was seen in the sky, in day time,
by someone in Donegal, Ireland. Upon this day, according to the
_Scientific American_, 73-374, a boy, Robert Alcorn, saw a large
luminous object falling from the sky. It exploded near him. The boy’s
experience was like Smith Morehouse’s. He put his hands over his face:
there was a second explosion, shattering his fingers. According to Prof.
George M. Minchin no substance of the object that had exploded could be
found. Whether there be relation or not, something was seen in the sky
of England a week later. In the London _Times_, Sept. 4, 1895, Dr. J. A.
H. Murray writes that, at Oxford, a few minutes before 8 P. M., August
31, 1895, he saw in the sky a luminous object, considerably larger than
Venus at greater brilliance, emerge from behind tree tops, and sail
slowly eastward. It moved as if driven in a strong wind, and disappeared
behind other trees. “The fact that it so perceptibly grew fainter as it
receded seems to imply that it was not at a great elevation, and so
favors a terrestrial origin, though I am unable to conceive how anything
artificial could have presented the same appearance.” In the _Times_, of
the 6th, someone who had read Dr. Murray’s letter says that, about the
same time, same evening, he, in London, had seen the same object moving
eastward so slowly that he had thought it might be a fire balloon from a
neighboring park. Another correspondent, who had not read Dr. Murray’s
letter, his own dated Sept. 3, writes from a place not stated that about
8.20 P. M., Aug. 31, he had seen a star-like object, moving eastward,
remaining in sight four or five minutes. Then someone who, about 8 P.
M., same evening, while driving to the Scarborough station, had seen “a
large shooting star,” astonishing him, because of its leisurely rate, so
different from the velocity of the ordinary “shooting star.” There are
two other accounts of objects that were seen in the sky, at Bath and at
Ramsgate, but not about this time, and I have looked them up in local
newspapers, finding that they were probably meteors.
In the Oxford _Times_, Sept. 7, Dr. Murray’s letter to the London
_Times_ is reprinted, with this comment—“We would suggest to the learned
doctor that the supposed meteor was one of the fire-balloons let off
with the allotments show.”
Let it be that when allotments are shown, balloons are always sent up,
and that this Editor did not merely have a notion to this effect. Our
data are concerned with an object that was seen, at about the same time,
at Oxford, about 50 miles south east of Oxford, and about 170 miles
northeast of Oxford, with a fourth observation that we can not place.
And, in broader terms, our data are concerned with a general expression
that objects like ships have been seen to sail close to this earth at
times when the planet Venus is nearest this earth. Sept. 18,
1895—inferior conjunction of Venus.
Still in the same period, there were, in London, two occurrences perhaps
like that at Donegal. London _Morning Post_, Nov. 16, 1895—that, at
noon, Nov. 15, an “alarming explosion” occurred somewhere near Fenchurch
Street, London. No damage was done; no trace could be found of anything
that had exploded. An hour later, near the Mansion House, which is not
far from Fenchurch Street, occurred a still more violent explosion. The
streets filled with persons who had run from buildings, and there was
investigation, but not a trace could be found of anything that had
exploded. It is said that somebody saw “something falling.” However, the
deadly explainers, usually astronomers, but this time policemen, haunt
or arrest us. In the _Daily News_, though it is not said that a trace of
anything that had exploded had been found, it is said that the
explanation by the police was that somebody had mischievously placed in
the streets fog-signals, which had been exploded by passing vehicles.
Observation by Müller, of Nymegen, Holland—an unknown luminous object
that, about three weeks later, was seen near Venus (_Monthly Notices, R.
A. S._, 52-276).
Upon the 28th of April, 1897, Venus was in inferior conjunction. In
_Popular Astronomy_, 5-55, it is said that many persons had written to
the Editor, telling of “airships” that had been seen, about this time.
The Editor writes that some of the observations were probably upon the
planet Venus, but that others probably related to toy balloons, “which
were provided with various colored lights.”
The first group of our data, I take from dispatches to the New York
_Sun_, April 2, 11, 16, 18. First of April—“the mysterious light” in the
sky of Kansas City—something like a powerful searchlight. “It was
directed toward the earth, travelling east at a rate of sixty miles an
hour.” About a week later, something was seen in Chicago. “Chicago’s
alleged airship is believed to be a myth, in spite of the fact that a
great many persons say that they have seen the mysterious
night-wanderer. A crowd gazed at strange lights, from the top of a
downtown skyscraper, and Evanston students declare they saw the swaying
red and green lights.” April 16—reported from Benton, Texas, but this
time as a dark object that passed across the moon. Reports from other
towns in Texas: Fort Worth, Dallas, Marshall, Ennis, and Beaumont—“It
was shaped like a Mexican cigar, large in the middle, and small at both
ends, with great wings, resembling those of an enormous butterfly. It
was brilliantly illuminated by the rays of two great searchlights, and
was sailing in a southeasterly direction, with the velocity of the wind,
presenting a magnificent appearance.”
New York _Herald_, April 11—that, at Chicago, night of April 9-10,
“until two o’clock in the morning, thousands of amazed spectators
declared that the lights seen in the northwest were those of an airship,
or some floating object, miles above the earth.... Some declare they saw
two cigar-shaped objects and great wings.” It is said that a white
light, a red light, and a green light had been seen.
There does seem to be an association between this object and the planet
Venus, which upon this night was less than three weeks from nearest
approach to this earth. Nevertheless this object could not have been
Venus, which had set hours earlier. Prof. Hough, of the Northwestern
University, is quoted—that the people had mistaken the star _Alpha
Orionis_ for an airship. Prof. Hough explains that astronomeric effects
may have given a changing red and green appearance to this star. _Alpha
Orionis_ as a northern star is some more astronomy by the astronomers
who teach astronomy daytimes and then relax when night comes. That
atmospheric conditions could pick out this one star and not affect other
brilliant stars in Orion is more astronomy. At any rate the standardized
explanation that the thing was Venus disappears.
There were other explainers—someone who said that he knew of an airship
(terrestrial one) that had sailed from San Francisco, and had reached
Chicago.
_Herald_, April 12—said that the object had been photographed in
Chicago: “a cigar-shaped, silken bag,” with a framework—other
explanations and identifications, not one of them applying to this
object, if it be accepted that it was seen in places as far apart as
Illinois and Texas. It is said that, upon March 29th, the thing had been
seen in Omaha, as a bright light sailing to the northwest, and that, for
a few moments, upon the following night, it had been seen in Denver. It
is said that, upon the night of the 9th, despatches had bombarded the
newspaper offices of Chicago, from many places in Illinois, Indiana,
Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
“Prof. George Hough maintains that the object seen is _Alpha Orionis_.”
April 14—story, veritable observation, yarn, hoax—despatch from
Carlensville, Ill.—that upon the afternoon of the 10th, the airship had
alighted upon a farm, but had sailed away when approached—“cigar-shaped,
with wings, and a canopy on top.”
April 15—shower of telegrams—development of jokers and explainers—thing
identified as an airship invented by someone in Dodge City, Kansas;
identified as an airship invented by someone in Brule, Wisconsin—stories
of letters found on farms, purporting to have been dropped by the
unknown aëronauts (terrestrial ones)—jokers in various towns, sending up
balloons with lights attached—one laborious joker who rigged up
something that looked like an airship and put it in a vacant lot and
told that it had fallen there—yarn or observation, upon a “queer-looking
boat” that had been seen to rise from the water in Lake Erie—continued
reports upon a moving object in the sky, and its red and green lights.
Against such an alliance as this, between the jokers and the
astronomers, I see small chance for our data. The chance is in the
future. If, in April, 1897, extra-mundane voyagers did visit this earth,
likely enough they will visit again, and then the alliance against the
data may be guarded against.
New York _Herald_, April 20—that, upon the 19th, about 9 P. M., at
Sistersville, W. Va., a luminous object had approached the town from the
northwest, flashing brilliant red, white, and green lights. “An
examination with strong glasses left an impression of a huge cone-shaped
arrangement 180 feet long, with large fins on either side.”
My own general impression:
Night of October 12, 1492—if I have that right. Some night in October,
1492, and savages upon an island-beach are gazing out at lights that
they had never seen before. The indications are that voyagers from some
other world are nearby. But the wise men explain. One of the most nearly
sure expressions in this book is upon how they explain. They explain in
terms of the familiar. For instance, after all that is spiritual in a
fish passes away, the rest of him begins to shine nights. So there are
three big, old, dead things out in the water—