UFO ROUNDUP Volume 2 Number 37
Volume 2
Number 37
September 28, 1997
Editor: Joseph Trainor
E-mail: Masinaigan@aol.com
STRANGE LIGHTS SEEN OVER SCOTLAND'S EAST COAST
On Monday, September 22, 1997, at 11:30 p.m., people living in Tyne Tees and other communities along Scotland's eastern shore reported seeing "bright objects of various sizes, emitting light."
According to Richard Gall, Scotland's director of Skywatch International, "Lights were observed shooting across each other, and then witnesses heard several loud explosions followed by light flashes and a crackling sound."
One woman reported seeing "what appeared to be a comet with a red tail." The UFO approached to within 300 meters of her.
Scotland's Rescue Service dispatched a lifeboard, to reportedly search for survivors and debris from "a mid-air collision."
Edinburgh University stated that the incident may have been caused by a bolide, or exploding meteor, that scattered fiery debris over a wide area.
Craig Lindsey, spokesman for the UK Ministry of Defence at RAF Kinloss, said the military were "checking the area" and had begun "an investigation into these reports." (Many thanks to Richard Gall of Skywatch International for this story.)
UFO FORMATION SIGHTED AT PONCHA PASS, COLORADO
On Sunday, September 21, 1997, at 9:25 p.m., witnesses in Saguache, Colorado (population 656) sighted a strange aerial formation crossing the San Luis Valley from west to east, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of town.
According to ufologist Christopher O'Brien, author of THE MYSTERIOUS VALLEY (St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1996), "For 15 to 20 minutes, blinking objects (choppers?) were seen escorting a slow-moving, large orange-red globe west to east...This formation of four to five blinking lights, low over the mountains, was observed traveling west to east from the Marshall Pass to the Poncha Pass areas."
"Further north, around Villa Grove, at a higher elevation, a bright light hovered, flashing red and green. This larger, closer light then drifted north." Witnesses using night vision binoculars on the light managed to discern "two large lights/objects" that "appeared unusually bright." (Many thanks to Christopher O'Brien for these reports. And don't forget to watch for Chris's new UFO book, on sale soon.)
SPHERICAL RED UFO SEEN ON LAKE ONTARIO'S NORTH SHORE
On Sunday night, September 21, 1997, Canada's Ontario province was visited by a "red globe" UFO. The object was reported all along Lake Ontario's north shore, from Bowmanville to Oshawa to Peterborough to Trenton.
"Numerous witnesses saw an object drifting over Ontario between Barrie and Trenton. At least one video was taken of the object. The witnesses indicated that the object was spherical, although it changed shape and became oval and diamond-shaped. It was reported as having a very reflective surface, and seen through a telescope appeared translucent and covered with a 'web-like' material." (Thanks to John Koopmans for the original report.)
The UFO, described as "very large" and an estimated 100 feet (33 meters) in diameter, was seen over the cities of Peterborough, Bowmanville and Oshawa.
A few hours later, on Monday, September 22, at about 3 a.m., the spherical red UFO appeared over Trenton, Ontario (population 15,465), approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Peterborough. Canadian Armed Forces personnel at CFB Trenton were alerted, as were the municipal police. The UFO was described as being "as large as the moon, but red in colour." A witness at the Trenton police station said, "The red object apparently moved across the sky, moving erratically from side to side." (Many thanks to Donald Ledger and Errol Bruce-Knapp for this report.)
SWISSAIR UFO SIGHTING CAUSES CONTROVERSY
On August 9, a Swissair Boeing 747 jetliner took off from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, bound for Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. This was the first leg of its transatlantic flight to Zurich.
While flying at 23,000 feet in a northeasterly direction, about ten miles south of New York City's Staten Island, the Swissair 747 was suddenly bypassed by a UFO.
According to Agence France Presse, the "white object" passed within 150 feet (45 meters) of the Boeing 747, flying at high speed in the opposite direction, i.e. to the southwest.
"The pilot said it was 'elongated, white and without wings,' although the co-pilot described it as 'rather round.'"
Swissair spokesman Erwin Schaerer said, "Neither the pilot nor the co-pilot spoke of a missile."
On Friday, September 26, Pat Cariseo of the National Transportation Safety Board declared that the UFO "was probably a weather balloon."
Later the same day, "the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the eerie object was merely a weather balloon."
"FAA spokesman Jim Peters said a United Airlines pilot flew through the area about the same time and identified the National Weather Service balloon."
"Peters said radar tapes as well as NWS records backed up the United pilots." (See the Boston, Mass. Herald for September 27, 1997.)
STRANGE OBJECT SEEN OVER LOWER MANHATTAN
On Tuesday, September 16, 1997, at 9:12 p.m., Mr. and Mrs. Ian W. were walking to their neighborhood market in the vicinity of West 23rd Street and 7th Avenue in lower Manhattan, New York City, when they saw an unusual display in the sky.
"It was a beautiful warm evening here in New York City," Ian reported. "As we approached the corner...I looked ahead and saw (Boeing) 747 slowly cross New York's West Side. The reason we stared is because it was flying 'very' low, appearing very large in the sky with all its landing lights on."
"Looking northwest, we stopped at the corner of West 23rd and Seventh Avenue and watched the plane slowly cross the city and bank slightly to the southeast. It was at this time that out of the corner of our eyes, directly to our right (northeast) we spied a large green object passing over the city."
"This object appeared to be oval-shaped. It was flying higher than the 747 and was moving at an incredible rate of speed. We could not determine the altitude but the object looked large--about the size of a quarter held at arm's length."
The couple described the object as "round...with a white center and a glowing green oval-shaped halo." It was "higher than the 747 but not 'that' much higher." (Many thanks to Jane S. Derry for forwarding this report.)
UFO SPOTTED NEAR OHIO'S EAST FORK LAKE
On Wednesday, September 23, 1997, at 7:45 p.m., five children playing on University Lane in Batavia, Ohio (population 1,896), approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of Cincinnati spotted a UFO crossing the sky from west to east.
Dovey, age 11, described the object as "reddish-orange and very bright." Her friends, Jerry and Brandon, both age 10, said "black things were sticking out of the object."
At about the same time, Susan D., age 36, of Afton, Ohio was driving east on Route 32, intent on meeting her husband in nearby Williamsburg (population 1,952). As she pulled into the parking lot, "the object was seen in the open sky, visible above the trees." It "was about 100 feet (33 meters) above the tree line in the vicinity of East Fork Lake."
During their drive home to Afton, Susan and her husband had the UFO in view for 10 minutes. She said it "resembled a lit candle with a glow around it," and it "disappeared from view behind trees to the south of our location, which was in the vicinity of East Fork Lake."
Back in Williamsburg, Susan's daughter, Chrissy, age 17, and boyfriend Mike spied the UFO around 8:30 p.m. They "saw it for about one minute" and described it as "a big, big white-colored light. An airplane beside it would look like a big dot. It was about as big as a baseball held at arm's length and flew along at treetop level."
The case is being investigated by Tri-States Advocates for Scientific Knowledge (T.A.S.K.) (Many thanks to T.A.S.K. public information director Kenneth Young for these reports.)
FLAP CONTINUES NEAR LA GRANGE, GEORGIA
Two UFO sightings were reported last week in La Grange, Georgia (population 24,204), located 64 miles (102 kilometers) southwest of Atlanta.
According to John C. Thompson, state director of Georgia MUFON, eight teens from La Grange High School were camped out near the Troup/Heard county line the weekend of September 20 and September 21 when the incidents occurred.
At 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, September 21, a 16-year-old "saw a white meteorite streak from east to west." He described it as "this brilliant white round ball had an apparent size of the moon and arched forward across a third of the sky before disappearing."
Then, at 3:15 a.m., another LGHS student "Looking slightly east of due north (20 degrees)... saw a clearly-defined and perfectly-symmetrical white disc-shaped UFO hovering at 40 degrees above the horizon." The camper also noticed that the moon was in the east-southeast. There were no clouds, and the visibility was good. "After about 'five minutes,' the UFO shot off to the north-northwest (340 degrees) at a speed equivalent to 'lightning.'" The UFO was at an estimated altitude of 400 to 500 feet.
Weeks earlier, on Saturday, August 30, 1997, at 10 p.m., a man working at the Dunston Mill in La Grange took his break and walked to the north end of the plant. "Overlooking the plant's pond, he saw a large light of whitish-blue in the northwest. The light had an elliptical shape" and hovered at "30 to 35 degrees above the horizon. The light did not ascend or descend." Moving slowly eastward, the UFO "slowed down to about 35 miles per hour. When it reached due north of the witness, it shot away to the west 'faster than a shooting star." The man had the UFO in view for about 10 minutes.
An hour later, at 11 p.m., a couple at the Callaway "Clock Tower" on Fourth Avenue in La Grange "saw a strange and non-moving light in the southwest" sky. They described the UFO as "neon yellow in color." (See Filer's Files #38 for September 25, 1997. Many thanks to George A. Filer and John C. Thompson of MUFON for these reports.)
"ANGEL HAIR" FALLS NEAR SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA
On Sunday, September 21, 1997, a strange fibrous substance, sometimes called "angel hair," fell on two cities east of Santa Cruz, California (population 41,483), approximately 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of San Francisco.
The fall was centered around Watsonville (population 23,543), located 24 miles (38 kilometers) east of Santa Cruz. Strands were also found in nearby Fulton.
"Robert Franklin, airport operator at (the) Watsonville airport, and a woman in Aptos called (the National Weather Service), asking what the translucent fibrous substance was. He said the strands were about three feet (0.9 meters) long and faced every which way."
"'It's like you took a piece of wet chewing gum and stretched it with your fingers. It had strands,' Franklin said, 'Then it went straight up into the sky like a hot-air balloon.'"
Sgt. Craig Wilson of the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Department "saw a few strands near downtown Santa Cruz and identified them as seed pods. 'I'm looking at it right now. I'm not a botanist. But that's what it looks like.'"
"'From a meteorological standpoint, I can't explain it,' National Weather Service forecaster Bob Benjamin said. (See the San Francisco Chronicle for September 22, 1997, "Authorities Baffled By Stringy UFOs." Many thanks to Ben Margot for forwarding this news story.)
(Editor's Comment: A similar case took place in Caldwell, New Jersey on August 31, 1970. See WEIRD AMERICA by Jim Brandon, E.P. Dutton, New York, NY 1978, page 139)
BARCELONA ASSAULT CASE BLAMED ON SPACE ALIENS
On Friday, September 19, 1997, a Spanish motorist, Carlos P.A., age 34, attacked another man, Jesus T.L., age 55, with a machete, leaving him critically injured.
The altercation took place on the highway leading from La Roca del Valle to Vilanova del Valle, near Barcelona. Upon arriving at the crime scene, the Guardia Civil (Spain's police--J.T.) "found the assailant's hands and clothes covered in blood." The victim had been struck repeatedly in the neck, shoulder and thorax with a machete measuring 22 centimeters.
Carlos was taken Barcelona's Modero prison and remains confined in the psychiatric unit. He reportedly told authorities that he had been ordered to stop his car and attack the other man "by a voice from Mars or perhaps a hovering flying saucer." He also mentioned contact with "space aliens" prior to the attack. (Muchas gracias a Pedro Canto para eso caso.)
(Editor's Comment: Remember the bizarre self- immolation case in Beersheva, Israel two months ago? Here we go again!)
MYSTERIOUS CLOUD FORMS NEAR MIR SPACE STATION
On Monday, September 22, 1997, a mysterious cloud of brown gas began to form near the Russian space station Mir, shortly after the central computer again shut down and a CO2 renewal system failed.
The cloud appeared outside the station and was reported to Mission Control by the Russian cosmonauts aboard Mir. Deputy Mission Control director Viktor Placov attributed the gaseous cloud to a "fuel leak."
However, NASA spokesman Ed Campion told AP that "it is unlikely that the cloud is a fuel leak because (Mir's) on-board gauges did not indicate such a problem." (Many thanks to Errol Bruce-Knapp for forwarding this story.)
ROUNDUP CORRIGENDA:
UFO ROUNDUP, Volume 2, Number 36 last week described "a boat-shaped UFO" over central Italy. This was a mistranslation of the Italian word "boato," which actually means "loud noise." Witnesses actually heard a loud explosion or "sky boom" that night. (Uh-oh! Looks like a C in Italian this semester. Better get out that dictionary--J.T.)
from the UFO Files...
1967: ALIENS STOP CAR IN ARGENTINA
Thirty years ago, in later September 1967, two men, Carlos Peccinetti and Fernando Jose Villegas, finished their shift at a casino and drove home. As they drove down a deserted section of the Calle Neuquen, they saw "a strange-looking machine, like two inverted soup plates, hovering about three feet over a vacant lot."
"At the same time, the car lights failed. A powerful light came at an angle from the machine, and, before they realized what was happening, three bald-headed dwarves came gliding towards them, and they found themselves unable to move. Two more dwarves were seen near the five-foot-high craft."
Overwhelmed witha sudden fatigue, Peccinetti and Villegas lost consciousness. When they woke up, they found pinprick holes in their fingertips. The aliens then gave the men a telepathic account of why they were on Earth.
The aliens had come "to study the customs of the inhabitants. They still had to learn one of our languages and were acquainting themselves with life on Earth."
One of the aliens picked up a tool that "resembled an electric welding torch, and dazzling sparks came from its end." The alien then drew a space map on the door of their 1929 Chevrolet.
Peccinetti recognized two of the symbols drawn as the letter A and the math symbol for 'pi." When he commented on that, an alien replied that "Mathematics is the universal language."
"Shortly afterwards, the dwarves ascended effortlessly up a beam of light into the machine. There was an explosion, and the craft sped into the sky with a great halo of light." (See True Flying Saucers and UFO Quarterly No. 13 for Spring 1979, pages 74 and 75.)
That's it for this week. We'll be back next Sunday with more saucer news from "the paper that goes home--UFO ROUNDUP."
UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 1997 by Masinaigan Productions, all rights reserved. Readers may post news items from UFO ROUNDUP on their websites or in newsgroups provided that they credit the newsletter and its editor by name and list the date of the issue in which the item first appeared.
