UFO ROUNDUP Volume 4 Number 07
Volume 4
Number 7
February 15, 1999
Editor: Joseph Trainor
E-mail: Masinaigan@aol.com
LARGE DAYLIGHT UFO SEEN OVER DOWNTOWN TORONTO On Wednesday, February 3, 1999, at 10:15 a.m., aircraft engineer Garfield Bowser was at the corner of St. George and Bloor Streets in Toronto, the largest city in Canada, when he spied a very large UFO crossing the sky. Bowser reported that he "saw a wingless, noiseless, three-hundred-foot-long, fifty-foot-high object with a 'nubin' on top. It was over St. Clair Avenue West a little beyond Casa Loma." He "estimated that the object was traveling at about 400 miles per hour. No tail fin. Elevation 15 degrees from horizontal. Altitude 10,000 feet, descending to 8 degrees from horizontal two-and-a-falk miles to the north. It was very silvery, with pointy-rounded ends and a black horizontal band around it, against a very clear blue sky." "Having been in the aircraft industry for five years and having an eye and ear for engines, this object is unlike any craft I have observed heretofore," Bowser stated. The case is being investigated by ufologist Larry Fenwick of the Canadian UFO Research Network. A call to Toronto's Pearson International Airport revealed that there were "no aircraft in that airspace at the time." (Many thanks to Errol Bruce-Knapp for this news story.) ANOTHER UFO VIDEOTAPED IN NORTHERN IRELAND On Wednesday, January 20, 1999, at 4:50 p.m., Kenneth Mundell stepped out of his home in Inver, a suburb of Larne, Country Antrim, Northern Ireland, and spotted something strange in the eastern sky. Quickly he grabbed his camcorder. "I noticed the triangular UFO coming from the east just about 1,000 feet high in the sky," Mundell reported. "It was travelling slowly, perhaps 30 to 40 miles per hour. There was no sound coming from the craft." As the UFO approached his house, Mundell began recording its image on 8 millimeter XTR (Extra Resolution) videotape. "When the UFO was directly over my house, it changed direction, shifting to a more northerly one," he reported, adding that the UFO seemed to "'skid' across the sky, an impossible task for any known aircraft." Larne is a city in County Antrim located about 42 miles (70 kilometers) north of Belfast. (Many thanks to Kenneth Mundell for this report.) TRIANGULAR UFOs FLY OVER BLOEMFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA On Friday, February 5, 1999, eight people in Bloemfontein, a large city in the Oranje Vrystaat region of South Africa, watched as several metallic UFO's flew overhead for eight minutes. Witnesses described the UFOs as "triangular-shaped, greyish-coloured objects with brightly-coloured lights at the corners." One witness reportedly captured "a couple of minutes" of the overflight "on videotape." "A couple of small UFOs were seen both motionless and zigzagging back and forth." A local newspaper reported on Sunday, February 7, 1999, that a UFO had flown over the town of Graaff- Reinette back in December 1998. The same newspaper also reported that "a farmer who came upon a UFO that had landed on a gravel road near his farm" in a rural district near Bloemfontein. "The engine of his truck just cut out, and he was 'frozen' in the act of getting out of the truck. A farm worker who was standing against the fence also could not move. After the UFO left, everything returned to normal. The farmer drove to the nearest police station, and the police investigated the site." Bloemfontein is located 500 kilometers (300 miles) southwest of Johannesburg. (Many thanks to Leenta Scott for sending this news story.) UFOs SIGHTED IN THREE STATES OF AUSTRALIA The level of UFO activity in Australia has remained high for the past few weeks. On Wednesday, January 13, 1999, astronomer Matthew Pearce, 23, spotted a UFO with his telescope while skywatching in his hometown of Yulara, Northern Territory, about 400 kilometers (240 miles) southwest of Alice Springs. Pearce reported, "I observed an object due south, around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Yulara. The object resembled a star, silvery-blue in colour. I heard no noise. Height around 15 degrees, southeast of Yulara, near Uluru. Visibility clear. It looked like a planet where there shouldn't be one. I watched it for around two minutes, then the object blinked out." (Editor's Note: Uluru, also known as Ayer's Rock, is a site in central Australia held sacred by the indigenous aboriginal people. It's similar to Bear Butte near Sturgis, South Dakota, USA, which is revered by the Lakota (Sioux), Zizitzah (Cheyenne) and Absaroka (Crow) people.) On Saturday, January 23, 1999, two boys, ages 8 and 7, were looking out their bedroom window at 9:15 p.m. when they spotted a brightly-lit UFO hovering in the sky. The incident occurred at Burpengary, Queensland, 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Deception Bay. The boys' mother told ufologist Diane Harrison that "the boys told me last night they saw a UFO. I said, "Yes, right. Kids, stop making up stories.' They said, 'Mum, we really did see a UFO. I'll draw it.' The boys said they watched it from their bedroom window for some time. They said it looked like a Christmas tree just floating in the sky," with red, green, blue, white and orange lights. On Thursday, February 11, 1999, residents of New Norcia, Western Australia, in the "wheatbelt region" 132 kilometers (79 miles) from Perth, W.A., spotted a disc-shaped UFO hovering overhead. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corp., "The National UFO Reporting Centre, in Melbourne, says they have received a number of reports of a flying-saucer-shaped craft hovering in the sky for a few seconds near New Norcia...(Australian ufologist) Ross Dowe says it is the first time there has been such a sighting over the district. 'This particular object had some five or six illuminations' and 'was seen for approximately five to ten seconds and then shot up into the sky,'" Australian Broadcasting Corp. quoted Ross Dowe as saying. (Many thanks to Keith Douglass and Diane Harrison for these reports.) DANISH MOTORISTS TRAILED BY TWO MYSTERIOUS LIGHTS On Friday, January 1, 1999, at 3:45 a.m., Henrik H. and a companion left Hjarup in the Soenderjylland region of southern Denmark, planning to drive to Skodborg. As they passed through Varndrup, they noticed something strange in the sky. "The sky was between clear and a little misty," Henrik reported. "The UFOs approached from the south. Their shape was round. Their lights were milky, not very intense but intense enough to cast a reflective glow on the zinc roof of a barn. They circled our car but not in the same level or pattern of flight." "No sound was heard. They went sort of in a straight line. They did not fly together but each bt itself," he reported, adding that they kept the objects in view until they reached Skodborg at 5 a.m. Henrik said SUFOI, the Scandinavian ufology group, "told us it was some spotlight, located at a discotechque near Roedding. But how is it possible for a spotlight to follow a car for over 25 kilometers?" (Email Interview) DAZZLING UFO HOVERS OVER TELFORD, PENNSYLVANIA On Friday, February 5, 1999, at 6:30 p.m., a dazzling UFO appeared in the sky over Telford, Pennsylvania (population 4,238), a small town on Highway 9 about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north- northwest of Philadelphia. Eyewitness Mark Isganitis reported, "My family and I observed a very unusual light in the evening sky in Telford. It was about 30 degrees above the southeastern horizon. We observed it through binoculars and with a small telescope." "It was a very bright sparkling object which repeatedly blinked in all colors," Mark reported. "It was smaller in size than either Jupiter or Venus, but unusually brighter than either, which were both observable in the southwest last evening." "My telescope is powerful enough to show the disc of Jupiter with its cloud banks and moons clearly visible. But when trained on this object, all that we could see was a bright sparkling point of light shooting off colored sparks or spikes." (Many thanks to Errol Bruce-Knapp for forwarding this report.) (Editor's Comment: Telford, Pa. was the site of a week-long black helicopter flap in April 1998.) UFOs SEEN FLYING NEAR WEST ELKTON, OHIO On Monday, January 25, 1999, at 8:22 p.m., a 26-year-old man was driving to Middletown, Ohio. As he stopped at the Madison Food Market on Route 122, he spotted "four odd lights in the sky." He put through a phone call to his mother, "Mrs. Smith," in West Elkton, Ohio (population 117), a small town on Route 503 about 48 miles (71 kilometers) north of Cincinnati, and asked her if the lights were visible from there. "After taking the phone call, Mrs. Smith was curious to have a look," so she "drove a short distance to the vicinity of Wayne Trace and West Elkton Road before returning home, not having seen anything." But when she arrived home, Mrs. Smith saw "the light appear to the south of her location, and it became brighter." She described it as "a star-like light that approached over our barn." "The object hovered for about ten minutes, and blinking red and green lights could be seen. She added that 'two other lights could be seen with the bright lights.' The two smaller UFOs "would 'dive' back and forth, as well as disappear and reappear... During the event, a fast, low-pitched humming or droning could be heard." Mrs. Smith observed the UFO from the walkway behind her kitchen porch. "The (main) object hovered at a low elevation above her five-acre field. The main object, she said, was closer, and the two smaller objects more distant." (Many thanks to Kenneth Young for Cincinnati UFO Research for this report.) DUTCH MOTORIST SAYS UFO DISABLED HIS OPEL CAR One night in August 1998, at 1 a.m., Joost van F. decided to let his dog go for a moonlight run in T. Wiske nature park, near Zaandam, a suburb 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. "I was driving an Opel Kadett with a 1600 centimeter engine, a sports model," Joost reported. "The park is closed to traffic, but residents of the neighborhood sometimes drive in there to let their dogs have some exercise." "After letting out my dog, and as the (Opel's) motor was running, it stopped--all at once--just shut down. In reflex, I braked. I had been rolling along at about 5 kilometers per hour, and my car came to a full stop." "Did I run through a puddle? No, the way was 'dry' for at least ten meters back. I stepped out of the car, flashlight in my hand. I opened the motor compartment (hood in the USA, bonnet in the UK-- J.T.)." "As I was checking the engine block and the electric wires, suddenly I felt a presence behind me. Strangely my dog did not bark or show any signs of upset. Turning, I saw two bright lights shooting up into the sky, almost vertical and at a speed much higher than an aircraft or a helicopter might use. No noise, no venting gases (exhaust--J.T.), nothing. They were about eye-height above the trees and out of sight within two seconds. They were over Zaandam and Purmerend, about one kilometer away." When he tried the Opel's engine again a few minutes later, it started right up and ran without missing a beat. (Email Interview) SOUTH TEXAS ROCKED BY OPERATION LAST DANCE On Monday night, February 8, 1999, over a dozen black helicopters flew into the center of Kingsville, Texas (population 25,276), a small city on Highway 77 about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Corpus Christi. The choppers disgorged soldiers in full combat gear, who rappelled to the ground on nylon ropes. The "urban terrain" infiltration exercise was carried out by the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and had the code name Operation Last Dance. According to WorldNet Daily, two buildings in Kingsville were damaged during the maneuvers. The first, an abandoned police station, was destroyed by fire. A commercial building had its roof damaged after two or more black helicopters attempted to land on it. "The assistant police chief confirmed what no one else would." "'The United States Army Special Operations Command was conducting a training exercise in our area,' admitted Arthur Rogers, when the police chief was unavailable for comment." "That was more than Mayor Phil Esquivel would declare. He said he was sworn to secrecy for national security reasons." "Witnesses reported that black helicopters with no identification markings flew into the city just after dark. They arrived in the center of the city, which had been evacuated by police. The secret training maneuver lasted several hours." "'I live out in the country, and they flew right over us, and our house just trembled,' said Thelma, a resident who would only give her first name." "They asked us to keep it secret,' repeated Esquivel several times. 'I respect national security. It was very well controlled, and no one was hurt. It didn't expend city taxpayers' dollars. The police department warned all surrounding neighbors. We're supporting national security." The cause of the fire at the abandoned police station is still undetermined. Elsewhere in Texas, black helicopters and other mystery vehicles were on the move. On Sunday, February 8, 1999, residents of Grand Prairie, Texas (population 99,616) a city on Highway 180 about 36 miles (57 kilometers) west of Dallas, spotted 15 black helicopters flying in formation over the city. Betty D. reported that "the 15 helicopters formed a straight line across the sky. They were all H-60 Blackhawks, it looked like to me. There was one that had a lot of electronic antennae sticking out the front. They flew slow and in formation--left to right, then north to south." The same afternoon, Sunday, February 8, a female Texas Ranger (the Rangers are a unit of the Texas Department of Public Safety--J.T.) pulled over a flatbed semi truck on Highway 72 in Clayton, Texas (population 450), a small town located about 57 miles (91 kilometers) southwest of Shreveport, Louisiana. The Ranger asked to see the manifest, and the trucker said, "Sure thing, ma'am." The Ranger read the manifest and said she thought the truck was over the highway's weight limit. When she pulled back the tarp on the flatbed, she got the shock of her life. Stacked on the truck were dozens of signs emblazoned with the message This area is now under Martial Law. (See WorldNet Daily for February 10, 1999, "What happened in Kingsville, Texas Monday night. Residents report unmarked helicopters, soldiers dropping from ropes,' by David M. Bresnahan.) (Editor's Comment: Does Texas governor George W. Bush even know what's going on in his own state?) UN TROOPS ON MANEUVERS IN THREE STATES OF USA On Wednesday, February 10, 1999, Fort Polk, Lousiana was closed to the general public. The post will remain closed until February 17 as the troops there conduct "peace enforcement training." Since 1992, Fort Polk, located just east of Leesville, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of New Orleans, has been the United Nations Joint Training Centre for North America. "The peace enforcement training is being conducted by the Joint Readiness Training Center. The scenario will involve troops acting as hostile forces which will not give up fighting in the fictitious nation" of Cortina. In the training scenario, a civil war has broken Cortina into two new republics Cortina and Acadia, and now "a multi-national force has been called in to establish peace." Serving as one "hostile force" will be First Battalion, 509th Airborne Infantry Regiment, while its opponent will be 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. "The primary forces being trained are the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Hawaii. They will receive support from Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry (Regiment) from Fort Carson, Colorado, 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group from Fort Lewis, Washington (state), the 159th Corps Support Group, a reserve unit from Helena, Montana, along with (U.S.) Air Force units from North Carolina, Texas, Washington, Massachusetts and California." The 5,000 U.S. troops will participate in the exercise with troops from a number of foreign nations, which have not been identified. "Much of Fort Polk has been closed to the public during the exercise, primarily for safety concerns because live ammunition will be in use." "'I live about 15 miles away from Fort Polk,' Cynthia Lyles told WorldNet Daily. 'This sounds like martial law training to me, in the name of peace, using reserve units and Special Forces.'" "Military spokesmen insisted the training is not intended to prepare troops for domestic events." Also last week, residents of Pennsylvania and Florida reported seeing white United Nations sports utility vehicles on the move in their states. On Monday, February 8, 1999, troopers of the Pennsylvania State Police pulled over a white UN Chevrolet Suburban with no license plates. In the vehicle were three Caucasian males in camoflauge battledress utilities (BDUs) of a style the U.S. Army calls woodland camo. The men had no identification on their persons and could not speak a word of English. The incident took place on Highway 8 just outside Oil City, Pennsylvania (population 11,949), located about 130 miles (208 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh. Nearly a month earlier, on January 11, 1999, Charles D. reported seeing six white UN Chevy Suburbans "going like hell" on Highway 62 near Warren, Pennsylvania (population 11,122), a small city 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of Erie, Pa. He reported that the vehicles were escorted by three black helicopters--AH-1 Cobras-- flying back and forth over the convoy as it rolled along. On Saturday, February 6, 1999, witness James P. spotted "five (UH-60) Blackhawks hovering over Sebring, Florida (population 8,900) as he was driving on Highway 17. The following morning, Sunday, February 7, 1999, James spotted "two black Cobras" flying parallel to the highway. A few minutes later, along came two "desert camo" flatbed trucks, heading north, carrying huge bales of concertina barbed wire. (See WorldNet Daily for February 11, 1999, "Another military operation in Louisiana," by David M. Bresnahan. See also the Oil City, Pa. Derrick for February 9, 1999.) from the UFO Files... 1954: UFO LANDS NEAR THE LANCASHIRE LAKES A UFO landed in the Lake District of Lancashire on February 15, 1954. Here's a summary of that unusual encounter. "Two boys, Stephen Darbishire, and his cousin, Adrian Myer, saw a circular domed object hovering above Coniston Old Main in the Lake District of Lancashire," UK. "The object was described as being metallic and manufactured in appearance, and possessing an upper turret with what were alleged to be 'portholes.' Two snapshots were taken with a simple camera, one of the hovering object, another of the device as it sped away past the witnesses." "The somewhat diffuse images on the film seem to confirm that something was present which was strikingly similar to the object in the first Adamski photographs. (Note: The domed UFO that George Adamski photographed in California in November 1952) In fact, one researcher (ufologist Leonard G. Cramp) has demonstrated by means of orthographic projections that the Darbishire and Adamski photographs could be of identical objects." (See the book THE HUMANOIDS, edited by Charles Bowen, Henry Regnery Co., Chicago, Ill., 1969. page 14. See also the Lancashire Daily Post for February 19, 1954.) FUN UFO WEBSITES Don't miss our parent site, UFOINFO, with its wide array of photo features. Log on any time at http://ufoinfo.com Back issues of UFO Roundup can be accessed and dowloaded at our webpage. We're at http://ufoinfo.com/roundup What a week! It looks as if the UFOs are back with a vengeance, popping up all over the world. But we'll be right there to cover their appearances. As always, bringing you the latest UFO news will be "the paper that goes home--UFO Roundup." See you next week! UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 1999 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 issue in which the item first appeared.
