Latest / Nebraska History Podcast / Nebraska's 1897 UFO Mystery

Transcript

Nebraska's 1897 UFO Mystery · Nebraska History Podcast

0:00
The following episode features a historic article from the
0:02
Nebraska History magazine. This article may reflect the
0:04
language and attitudes of its time and while it offers
0:06
valuable insight into the past, may content, expressions, or
0:08
viewpoints that are outdated or offensive by today's standards.
0:10
Any outdated terms do not reflect the current views or
0:12
perspectives of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
0:16
Welcome to the Nebraska History podcast.
0:18
I'm your host, Chris Goforth. Each episode we explore articles
0:22
written and published in Nebraska History Magazine.
0:25
In 1897, numerous reports of an unusual phenomena in the sky
0:31
describe what some thought to be a UFOA ship with multiple lights
0:37
and sometimes said to have wings, was spotted at night
0:40
beginning in Nebraska, then across the United States.
0:44
This episode searches for the answer through the 1979 Nebraska
0:48
History Magazine article titled This Mysterious Light Called An
0:52
Airship by Rodger Welsh. A huge canoe shaped spaceship
0:58
like nothing seen before approaches the small Nebraska
1:02
town at incredible speed. It's brilliant headlight dazzles
1:06
onlookers who stand open mouthed before the approach of the
1:10
mysterious craft. It suddenly stops in mid air,
1:14
moves abruptly up, then down sideways, forward, then backward
1:19
at will in defiance of all known laws of physics.
1:23
Some viewers believe they can hear the murmur of a power
1:26
source, and others detect the voices, even the laughter of the
1:30
airships passengers. All agree that there is a red
1:34
light on the stern of the ship and a row of three lights on
1:38
either side, and a dim green light is seen by some.
1:42
The lights dim and glare, and in their reflection the earthlings
1:46
can make out the silhouette of four large wings 2 on either
1:50
side of the ship's massive body. Suddenly, the craft shoots
1:54
upward and disappears toward the horizon at incredible speed.
1:59
The townsmen are left bewildered, mystified, thrilled,
2:04
even terrified. Has some new power for flight
2:07
been discovered that was previously unknown to
2:10
civilization? Is it a mirage or a portent of
2:14
the apocalypse? Is it simply an elaborate hoax?
2:18
Witnesses of the strange visit take some comfort in knowing
2:22
that other Nebraskans have seen the ship.
2:25
But they also know that cynics will call them drunks, fools or
2:29
even charlatans. They, too, had thought the
2:33
earlier sightings of the ship have probably seen a brilliant
2:37
evening star, or maybe a vagrant cloud.
2:39
But now they know differently. It is no star, no cloud, no
2:45
hoax. It is an airship of an
2:48
appearance and performance previously unknown or imagined.
2:53
Its sources and purpose are unknown.
2:56
Whole communities see the ship, use modern communications
2:59
systems to trace the craft, but still there are no explanations.
3:04
Soon the Midwest is seized with the hysteria.
3:07
The craft is seen throughout the country and conversations turn
3:11
to the mystery ship. The post World War 2 flying
3:15
saucer scare. A futuristic television show?
3:19
A cheap comic book story? No, indeed, a story straight out
3:23
of Nebraska's history. A chapter that provides one of
3:27
the most exciting, if not frustrating episodes of that
3:31
history. Fiery wheels, airships, flying
3:34
saucers, and UFOs have been the subject of reports from Ezekiel
3:39
right up to the United States Air Force's Blue Book Project,
3:43
an extensive cataloging and analysis program for such
3:46
sightings, which lasted under various names from 1947 to 1969,
3:51
when it was terminated without convincing conclusions.
3:55
Today, J Allen Hynek, a former member of the Blue Book staff
3:59
and now one of its fiercest detractors, writes best selling
4:02
discussions on the UFO experience.
4:05
The phrases he coins, for example, quote close encounters
4:09
of the first, second, and third kinds.
4:11
End Quote. Have captured the attention of
4:14
popular culture markets too. Scarcely a week's newspaper
4:18
appear without official denials from world governments of their
4:21
role in the UFO phenomenon, reports of further sightings, or
4:25
speculations about the origin and nature of the saucers.
4:29
The purpose of this investigation, however, is not
4:32
to deal with the authenticity or even the nature of the 1897
4:36
sightings, but to treat instead the nature of the newspaper
4:39
reports of the period. Charles Dana Wilbur's theory,
4:44
Rain follows the plow must be considered as a factor of plains
4:48
settlement, whether we now concur with the idea or not.
4:51
Similarly, whatever our current opinion of UFOs, we can scarcely
4:56
deny that 1897 was a year indelibly marked by reported
5:01
sightings of aerial phenomena. If nothing else, these reports
5:05
provide particular comfort for those who insist that there is
5:09
indeed nothing new under the sun.
5:12
The strange sequence of events opened on February 2nd, 1897 in
5:16
Hastings, where it was written. Quote.
5:19
Several Hastings people report that an airship or something of
5:22
the kind has been sailing around in the air West of this city.
5:26
It was first noticed sometime last fall when it was seen
5:30
floating in the air about 500 feet above ground, and after
5:33
standing nearly still for about 30 minutes it began to circle
5:37
about and then took a northerly direction for about two miles,
5:41
after which it returned to its starting place and sank into
5:45
oblivion. Since that time it has not been
5:48
seen until last Sunday evening, when it was observed standing
5:52
nearly still a few miles West of Hastings and seemingly about 800
5:57
feet in the air. At first sight it has the
6:00
appearance of an immense star, but after a closer observation
6:04
the powerful light shows by its color to be artificial.
6:08
It's certainly must be illuminated by powerful electric
6:11
Dynamos. For the light sent forth by it,
6:14
it is wonderful. At 9:30 last Monday night the
6:18
large glaring light was seen to circle around for a few minutes
6:21
and then take a northerly direction for about 3 miles.
6:25
Then it stood perfectly still for about 5 minutes and then
6:28
descended for about 200 feet, circling as it traveled in the
6:32
most remarkable speed for about two miles, and then slowing up
6:37
as it circled about for fully 15 minutes, when it began to lower
6:41
and disappear as mysteriously as it had made its appearance.
6:45
A close watch is being kept for its reappearance.
6:49
End Quote. The Hastings sighting was first
6:52
reported in Nebraska, but not the first in the country.
6:56
A mysterious airship had been reported in Sacramento, CA the
6:59
year before and it had never been satisfactorily explained.
7:03
The February 3rd comment in the Norfolk News attributed the
7:07
unusual aerial sightings by hasting citizens to excessive
7:11
drinking. They wrote quote.
7:14
It would be interesting to know just what brand of liquor the
7:17
Hastings correspondent drinks that enables him to see airships
7:21
carrying powerful lights gyrating about through the
7:25
atmosphere. It must be a remarkable brand of
7:28
goods and if it would have the effect of enabling one to see
7:33
his pet mortgage floating away, we would be glad to try a few
7:37
gallons or so. End Quote.
7:40
On February 5th, 1897, the Omaha Daily Bee reported that the ship
7:45
had been seen at in a Vale about 40 miles South of Hastings.
7:49
It had been spotted several times, once by a pious party of
7:53
10 returning from a prayer meeting, and this obviously was
7:56
a slap at the Norfolk cynic who accused those who believe they
8:00
had seen the craft of drinking. This sighting was more detailed,
8:05
including a description of the lights along the side of the
8:07
ship. The onlookers heard the sounds
8:10
of the engine and voices of laughter of the passengers,
8:15
observers reported. Quote.
8:16
It seemed to be conical shaped and perhaps 30 or 40 feet in
8:21
length with a bright headlight and six smaller lights 3 on a
8:26
side and seemed to have two sets of wings on a side with a large
8:30
fan shaped rudder. End Quote.
8:33
The modern reader might assume that Nebraskans were seeing a
8:36
dirigible balloon, but such craft were only in the
8:40
development stages in Europe and the East, and could scarcely
8:44
have been independently developed on the plains or have
8:47
flown there on a jaunt. The speeds and control of the
8:50
craft as described in the reports were not to be reached
8:54
by engineers for some time round.
8:56
Hot air balloons were well known at the time and had been used in
9:00
the Civil War 30 years before, but in no case did they have the
9:05
kind of maneuverability of this ship that could circle, make
9:09
right turns, fly upward, attain great speeds, and hover
9:13
motionlessly. On February 8th, 1897, the York
9:18
Daily Times reported that an honest citizen and his daughter
9:22
had spotted the lights of the mystery ship and called in a
9:25
witness who swore on a Bible that he had seen what he had
9:29
claimed. Four days later, the Falls City
9:33
Journal noted A spaceship reported from Elwood, KS and
9:37
editorialized Quote, our people never saw such things in
9:40
Nebraska, End Quote, suggesting that the mania had not reached
9:45
any sizable proportions in its first two weeks.
9:48
On the same day, the Hastings Tribune wished that someone in
9:52
the area would create one of the rumored spaceships, which
9:55
scientists theorized was possible.
9:59
Next, the ship turned up at low altitude over Omaha.
10:04
While nothing could be discerned regarding the form of the
10:07
airship, the lights were in evidence.
10:10
It was seen by several people, the chief witness being Thomas
10:13
Hazel of 26th and H Streets. Quote.
10:16
Who holds a responsible position with the Hammond Packing Company
10:20
and is considered trustworthy in every respect?
10:23
End Quote The Beatrice Daily News reported on February 16th
10:27
that five men had spotted the ship over that city that night
10:31
before moving slowly and very perceptibly to the West.
10:36
However, the light hearted nature of the report suggests
10:39
that the rumors were still not being taken seriously by all
10:43
editors. Quote.
10:44
Dick Grant has come perilously near a description of the
10:48
machine in solemnly asserting that it had a tail.
10:53
Walt Scott thinks it had two eyes, while Charlie Dempster
10:57
will not venture more than one whopping big eye.
10:59
End Quote. The craft now returned to
11:03
central Nebraska, and appeared nearly every night between
11:06
Hastings and North Platte. One report had sparks falling
11:11
from its sides that at North Platte and another alluded to
11:15
the California ship, suggesting that this might be the same
11:18
craft which had crossed the mountains, a feat no balloon of
11:22
the time could have accomplished.
11:24
City Clerk Charlie Prescott of Carney spotted the ship and
11:28
reported it to the Daily Hub editor, who published the report
11:31
on February 19th but refused to take it seriously, noting that
11:35
he had once been gullible himself.
11:38
However, the same editor swallowed his pride the next day
11:41
and ran a story in serious intent that the ship had been
11:44
spotted by reputable people and there could no longer be doubt
11:48
that something was paying nocturnal aerial visits to the
11:52
town. Indeed, sightings seem to have
11:55
affected even social life. Several airship parties will
11:59
watch for the strange phenomena each evening from now on in an
12:03
effort to be made to get more accurate descriptions.
12:08
Now reports were coming in frequently enough and with
12:11
sufficient reliability that they had to be taken seriously.
12:15
Efforts were now begun to explain the phenomena.
12:18
It was written. Quote.
12:19
William Weidner is another candidate for fame.
12:22
He has come forward with one more explanation in reference to
12:26
the mysterious light down at Juanita, about 55 miles distant
12:31
from York, there is a station agent who is such in name only
12:37
in as much as his railroad duties take but a small part of
12:40
his time. This man the neighbors call a
12:43
kite crank. He flies kites of a new and
12:46
remarkable kind, known to kite specialists as box kites.
12:51
They are built on an entirely different plan than for which
12:55
small boys usually construct high Flyers.
12:58
They are tailless, and look at a distance more like a box than a
13:02
kite, but a closer examination would reveal considerable
13:06
differences between them and boxes.
13:09
The affairs, in short, are merely a series of planes built
13:12
one over the other, and which are so arranged as to afford at
13:16
least possible resistance to the air from an upward pressure.
13:20
The things soar aloft with wonderful ease.
13:23
At night the kite flyer attaches a light to a kite and sends it
13:27
up to startle and puzzle people for miles and miles around.
13:31
The nature of this light is not very well known.
13:34
It is intensely brilliant and, Mr. Wiedner says, looks much
13:38
like an arc light. Whether or not this light could
13:42
be seen from Juanita by people of York is a question.
13:46
But there is a possibility, and a strong one too, that a bright
13:50
light raised to an elevation of a couple 1000 feet could be seen
13:54
over 50 miles on a bright night, although it's apparent elevation
13:58
from here would not be so great as stated by those who saw the
14:02
light a few nights ago. End Quote.
14:05
Nor, one might add, would it explain fantastic speeds and
14:09
traverse across the zenith. Even though the spaceship matter
14:13
had begun to snowball in 16 days since the first report, some
14:17
editors continue to use the idea as a target for their wit.
14:22
The editor of the Carney Daily Hub, for example, wrote that now
14:26
the light in the sky was seen every night over the city and
14:29
remained unexplained. But he also wrote, quote, Chief
14:34
of Police Julian is the last gentleman who claims to have
14:37
seen the airship. He says he saw it rise in the
14:40
West, sail toward the east and light near Durley Hall.
14:45
Janitor Eck refused to confirm the story of his chief and the
14:49
night police object to making affidavits to anything the chief
14:52
says. End Quote The Beatrice Daily
14:54
Express carried a story about a second sighting in that city on
14:58
February 23rd. Writing Quote.
15:01
It has the appearance of a greatly magnified star, with
15:05
luminous rays shooting out unevenly across the disk.
15:09
There is no suggestion of an airship about it, but it has
15:12
rather the resemblance of the frame of an open umbrella.
15:16
Without the cover it is Venus, and the swaying motion and
15:21
peculiar rays are the results of atmospheric conditions.
15:25
End Quote. On February 26th the Grand
15:28
Island Independent carried an article from another sighting
15:31
there, but explained it as the brilliant showing of Venus, the
15:35
Evening Star. The Independent reported that
15:38
the airship had attracted much attention, but the Hastings
15:42
Tribune had the same date. Scoffed.
15:44
Quote. Oh, that airship people see on
15:47
high at night isn't in it with the midnight slaying crowd.
15:51
End Quote. Now the craze was three weeks
15:54
old, but there had been over 20 appearances of the craft
15:58
reported in southern Nebraska and in northern Kansas.
16:02
Editors felt obliged to print the reports and rumors, but
16:05
described the luminous objects as kites or the planet Venus.
16:09
They did not like the feel of the stories, however, and
16:13
continued to balance news reports with ridicule.
16:16
Immediately following an article about a sighting in Carney, The
16:20
Hub, tongue in cheek, ran this on March 4th.
16:24
Quote. While on the question of strange
16:27
lights, the Hub reproduces an extract from a letter published
16:31
in Good faith by the Women's Gazette of Beatrice by Anton
16:35
Pallardy, a scientist from the Black Hills who recently had
16:39
been visiting in Beatrice. February 26th, 1897.
16:44
To the editor. The airship which has been seen
16:47
over Grand Island, Hastings and Beatrice is no myth.
16:52
It is a reality where it was built.
16:55
I dare not tell you more than that your readers know that to
16:59
the northwest of Nebraska is a weird, lonely, and strange
17:03
country known as the Malvay Terez.
17:07
There are canyons, caverns, nooks, and crannies in these
17:10
Badlands that are so secret and remote from the ordinary
17:14
pathways that men can and have lived there uninterruptedly for
17:18
years, with nothing to molest or make afraid.
17:22
It is from these mauve Therese the airship comes.
17:26
With my three companions. I have sailed over Nebraska in a
17:29
line from the Forks of the Plat along the Little Blue Valley,
17:33
and thence to Manhattan, KS, generally at night, returning to
17:38
the move Torres in the early morning.
17:40
It was necessary that we should become familiar with the earth
17:44
configurations lying under our aerial track.
17:47
Hence I am in your city to make some necessary investigations in
17:51
order that we may obtain a title to the route over which we
17:55
propose to operate our ship. For prudent reasons I dare not
17:59
describe our ship in detail to you.
18:02
Those who have seen it know its general appearance to be
18:05
something like a very large umbrella with a transparent
18:09
covering. This large umbrella is
18:12
immediately above a pair of wings.
18:14
These wings are expanded and contracted at the pleasure of
18:18
the engineer. Suspended above and attached to
18:21
the wings are two very thin aluminum balloons containing the
18:25
new gas helium. Immediately between the wings is
18:29
another smaller umbrella like affair that can be made to
18:32
revolve very rapidly for a purpose I dare not disclose to
18:37
you. This, then, is the airship in
18:40
brief, and its description will correspond with the observations
18:44
of those who have obtained a good look at it.
18:46
Sign. Anton Pallardy.
18:48
End Quote. The March 2nd, 1897 Omaha World
18:53
Herald carried a series of humorous explanations from
18:56
various walks of life. A jailer said.
18:59
Quote, there's different kinds of the red liquor, that which
19:03
makes you see snakes and that which makes you see balloons and
19:07
airships. And quote, a railroader who felt
19:10
that someone had probably mistaken train lights for a
19:13
vision, and a cowboy who felt that some fellow must have just
19:16
wandered off the range into a Buffalo wallowing got a little
19:20
mixed up on the way as the herd was drifting.
19:24
The greatest cause for skepticism was that no one had
19:27
seen this airship on the ground and that it only appeared at
19:32
night. The Adams County Democrats said.
19:35
Quote, the airship, which is reported to have been seen by so
19:38
many people, does not materialize very fast.
19:42
It is funny what some people see after dark.
19:45
We have heard of people seeing snakes, but seeing airships is a
19:49
whole new deal and must be caused by water diluted 40 rod.
19:53
End Quote. There had now been nearly 30
19:57
sightings. The Lincoln State Journal noted
20:00
that some residents felt the airship was a sign that the
20:03
world was coming to an end. Serious reports were frequently
20:07
accompanied with the statement, like that in the March 5th
20:10
Hastings Tribune quote. We know Bert to be a total
20:14
abstainer, and we don't believe that he could stand on his head
20:18
for five hours. End Quote.
20:21
The editor of the Beatrice Daily Express heaped ridicule on the
20:24
editor of the Wymore, Arbor State, for giving credence to
20:27
the rumors. Quote.
20:29
The Arbor State of Wymore swallows the whole of the hoax
20:33
and implicitly believes in the airship, even going so far as to
20:37
profess to have seen it. Believing all these things, the
20:40
editor of the Arbor State has the audacity to write editorials
20:44
on gumption. End Quote.
20:46
One gets the impression that newspapers were caught in a
20:49
dilemma. They didn't want to believe the
20:52
nonsense. And yet there were reports from
20:55
reliable witnesses. The Lexington Pioneer started a
20:59
story on March 6 in a way that was clearly meant to draw forth
21:03
from the sophisticated reader. Unknowing smile, they wrote.
21:07
Quote. Al Abel.
21:09
The grocery men alleges that he saw the airship Tuesday at night
21:13
last. It had a brilliant headlight and
21:16
was the site to inspire one with terror.
21:19
Al was so overcome with astonishment and wonder that he
21:22
walked off the sidewalk near his residence and tore off the bow
21:26
and stern of his pantaloons. End Quote.
21:29
However, a few lines later, the writer feels compelled to note
21:32
that all the people who had seen the wonderful ship are strictly
21:35
temperate in their habits, and their stories ought to be
21:38
credible. Now the stories began to pour in
21:42
from across the state. McCook, Fremont, Clarks and
21:46
Papillion cynics became converts, it was written.
21:51
Quote, people may talk as they please about the strange light
21:56
that has been reported seen in the sky so often of late and
21:59
claim that those who have seen it don't know a star from an
22:03
airship until they are Gray headed.
22:06
But they won't make CW Hodges believe anything of the kind
22:10
until Thursday morning. He was one of the scoffers and
22:13
didn't take much stock in airships, but he talks about it
22:17
now in a serious manner. He has seen something himself.
22:21
What it was he doesn't pretend to say, other than a very bright
22:26
light, and is now willing to believe that other people have
22:29
not been fooled by the stars. End Quote.
22:33
The descriptions of the airship remain constant through these
22:36
first five weeks of reports. No one else had heard noises
22:40
from the ship, but the headlight and the side lights remain.
22:44
It's still hovered and darted and moved with great speed.
22:48
The ship was seen moving toward all quarters of the compass
22:52
upwind as fast as downwind. The author plotted on a map
22:56
reported flight directions from the 150 sightings used for this
23:00
paper, and there was no pattern other than that most flights
23:04
were toward the Northwest. There were plenty of
23:07
explanations, but none of them very plausible.
23:10
Quote A gentleman said that last year someone had predicted that
23:14
Carney would be destroyed by an aerial visitor who had dropped
23:18
down from the clouds, begin to work in certain streets and
23:22
exterminate the town. The name of the false prophet
23:25
was not given, but the fact of such idol prophecies are
23:29
repeated shows of what strange speculations are indulged in
23:33
over the strange light scene. All descriptions practically
23:37
agree, a fact which would tend to convince the skeptical that
23:41
there must be something besides bad whiskey in the airship
23:44
theory. During the past few months there
23:47
have been several reports regarding an individual in the
23:50
state who is working on an airship.
23:53
The inventor has been located somewhere near Hastings, but he
23:56
has succeeded in keeping his identity pretty well concealed.
24:00
They say he does not want his airship invention to be stolen
24:03
by unprincipled individuals. Some declare the spaceship
24:08
portends dire disaster for the country.
24:11
JH McCarty of the Night Tower at the Portal station is firmly
24:15
convinced that the light seen in the east is either either a
24:18
mammoth kite or an airship of some kind.
24:21
End Quote. Nor did the scoffers relent in
24:24
their attacks. It was written.
24:26
Quote A reporter wishing to get an idea of the airship from an
24:30
expert this morning interviewed Tom Cass and found him a walking
24:34
encyclopedia of knowledge on the subject of aerial travel.
24:38
Learning that he was to be interviewed, Mr. Cass threw
24:41
caution to the winds and talked as freely and unreservedly as a
24:45
phonograph. Did you ever see an airship?
24:49
Queried the reporter. Never in my waking hours, was
24:52
the reply. What do you do?
24:55
Should you see one? Well, that depends.
24:59
If I were near a newspaper man, I would keep my mouth
25:01
continually closed. If you saw one, do you think you
25:05
would do anything you might afterwards be sorry for?
25:08
Was the question the reply. I might.
25:12
If I should see an airship with snakes for passengers, I would
25:15
probably take the Keely cure. Well, what if there were no
25:20
snakes? I would question the integrity
25:22
of my eyesight. What do you think this airship
25:26
is that everybody is seeing? And talking of one of Norris
25:30
Brown's air castles that floated beyond his reach and got away,
25:35
Do you think anyone has ever seen it?
25:38
Yes. Charlie Bessie saw it.
25:41
Do you want this interview published?
25:44
No End Quote. Father William Rigg, professor
25:47
of astronomy at Creighton University, Omaha, argued Quote.
25:51
I am satisfied in my own mind that the alleged airship seen
25:55
about a month ago was the planet Venus.
25:57
I remember the night very well. It was cold and the clouds were
26:01
being blown along in riffs, and this will account for the
26:05
deception of the star appearing to move.
26:08
The last airship was undoubtedly a balloon, which some wag had
26:12
sent up to enjoy the fun the next morning.
26:15
It does not seem probable that when such men as Maxim and
26:19
others who have been working on the theory of aerial navigation
26:23
for years and so far have failed to solve the Riddle, that some
26:27
fellow in the backwoods has been able to solve the matter.
26:31
End Quote. The airship had now been
26:33
cruising Nebraska skies for two months, and new sightings
26:37
scarcely raided a column inch. The World Herald jokingly
26:41
suggested that perhaps the con man who had last year built
26:45
several 100 people of $0.25 each on the pretense a flying in an
26:50
airship had repented and was fulfilling his pledge, but was
26:54
afraid to land until his safety from the mob was assured.
26:59
From the Auburn Granger, April 9th, 1897, came a story that is
27:04
baffling in light of some of the fact that the author's name is
27:07
given and there is attestation of his character.
27:11
They wrote quote, James Southard, a farmer on the
27:15
bottoms north of Peru, was in Auburn on Wednesday and made
27:19
this office a call. Mr. South or tells a story which
27:23
a great many will doubt, and were it not for his reputation
27:26
as a truthful man, we would hardly care to repeat the story.
27:30
He has resided in Peru precinct for the past 20 years and has
27:33
always been known as a truthful and honest citizen.
27:38
Sometime during Monday a number of cows belonging to Mr.
27:41
Southard strayed away from his farm and were not missed until
27:45
evening. A hunt for the missing cattle
27:48
resulted in Mr. Southard finding himself several miles from home
27:52
when darkness came on. He soon became lost and wandered
27:56
about for some time in the dense growth of the willows, becoming
28:00
all the time more confused as to his whereabouts.
28:04
About two O clock in the morning he saw a light on a bar in the
28:08
river, and finding a place where the bar ran into the bank, he
28:12
made his way to the light. Imagine his surprise when he
28:16
found that he had stumbled on to the airship which has attracted
28:20
so much attention, and has been the occasion of a great deal of
28:23
speculation as to what it really was.
28:25
Of late a number of men were moving about the ship or
28:29
machine, and seemed considerably surprised when Mr. Southard
28:33
appeared. Nevertheless, they were nothing
28:36
loath to talk when he had explained how he came to be
28:39
there. Something had gone wrong with
28:41
the Searchlight on the ship, and not daring to proceed in the
28:45
darkness, the ship had been brought down to the ground.
28:48
It is a cigar shaped about 200 feet long and 50 feet across at
28:52
the widest point, gradually narrowing to a point on both
28:55
ends. Mr. Southard was allowed to
28:58
examine as much as he pleased, and all his questions were
29:01
answered. At each end of the ship is a
29:04
large steel snail shell shaped device.
29:08
This, he was informed, was the apparatus by which the strange
29:12
machine was propelled. Large gasoline engines caused
29:16
whichever one of these in use to revolve rapidly and to bore onto
29:21
the air, dragging or pulling the ship along at a wonderful rate
29:25
of speed. The craft is loaded with several
29:28
tons of dynamite and is bound for Cuba.
29:31
Spanish troops are being massed in the cities for transportation
29:34
to the Philippine Islands, and it proposed to sail over these
29:38
cities and drop the dynamite into camps of the soldiers and
29:41
on the transport ships. Besides destroying the camps and
29:45
transport ships, it is proposed to destroy the Spanish Navy.
29:48
They expect to sail or fly for Cuba yet this week and reach
29:52
there by Sunday or Monday. When they do, Spain is likely to
29:56
hear something drop. End Quote.
29:59
This is the most extended and bizarre explanation of the craft
30:03
and the most detailed sighting. One must admire the ingenuity of
30:07
either the spaceships engineers or Mr. Southard's imagination,
30:12
for it was not until a year later that airship engineers in
30:15
France used a 3 1/2 horsepower gasoline engine.
30:20
The techniques of bombardment from airships, as described by
30:23
Southard, were not to mature for another 20 years.
30:27
We are thus faced with the same dilemma confronting Nebraska's
30:31
editors. It seemed unlikely that such an
30:34
airship could have appeared in Peru, NE, and yet it seemed
30:39
unlikely that a farmer could have come up with such an
30:41
accurate description without prior knowledge.
30:44
Perhaps Southridge reports were inspired by writers like Jules
30:48
Verne, whose works were widely circulated in 1897.
30:53
In April, there were additional sightings northward to the Black
30:57
Hills, eastward to Chicago, and South into Kansas.
31:01
The cynics and mirth makers smirked, requesting samples of
31:05
the whiskey that brought such hallucinations.
31:08
The Wilsonville Review editor heard a voice from a spaceship
31:12
shout. Weaver ET Roth erbecubus.
31:16
This transcribes to subscribe for the review when spelled
31:20
backwards. An open letter was sent to the
31:23
Omaha Trans Mississippi Exposition stating quote.
31:27
My identity up to date has been unknown but I will come to the
31:31
front row IE if you guarantee me 3,700,000 square feet of space.
31:39
I am the famous airship constructor and will guarantee
31:43
you positively of this fact in a week.
31:46
The airship is my own invention and I am in Omaha.
31:49
Man I wish it to be held as an Omaha invention.
31:53
It will carry 20 people to a height from 10,000 to 20,000
31:57
feet. I truly believe I have the
32:00
greatest invention and discovery ever made.
32:03
We'll see you April 17th, 1897 at the headquarters.
32:07
Signed AC Clinton. End Quote.
32:10
The exposition directors took the note with a grain of salt,
32:13
but did show up at the suggested meeting place.
32:17
AC Clinton, signer of the note, did not appear.
32:20
Throughout April, descriptions of the airship remained fairly
32:23
constant. A few saw flames and fireballs
32:26
or heard muffled engines, but usually the ship was canoe
32:30
shaped, had the customary 4 wings, moved smoothly, quickly
32:36
and apparently under full control of the pilot.
32:39
The Hastings Republican editor remained caustic.
32:42
Opening 1 news story with the line quote.
32:45
Another man has had snakes in his head and is seeing airships
32:49
and other things. End Quote.
32:51
But in Omaha, World Herald editorial of April 10th gave
32:55
some credence to the airship phenomenon.
32:58
They wrote quote. A number of newspapers that are
33:01
now making merry over the foolishness of the people who
33:04
have mistaken Venus for an airship may soon be called upon
33:09
to announce that they knew all this time that an airship had
33:13
been perfected. In this day and age it is not
33:16
the part of wisdom to decry an alleged invention.
33:20
Bulk called Cyrus McCormick a fool when they learned that he
33:24
was trying to invent a machine that would bind grain as fast as
33:28
cut. The man who invented the
33:30
telephone was laughed at when he said he had a machine that would
33:33
carry articulation over hundreds of miles of wire.
33:37
And the world stopped whirling when Edison invented the
33:40
phonograph. Now we have the kinetoscope, the
33:42
teleautograph, the electric motor, and the hundred other
33:46
things that are forbearers would have thought impossible or of
33:49
the devil. And why not an airship?
33:52
Of course, Maxim the great inventor has failed to make a
33:56
successful one, but our greatest inventions were not made by
33:59
skilled inventors. That mysterious light may be the
34:03
long sought for navigator of the air.
34:06
If it is, the fact is not surprising.
34:09
End Quote. The population of young Nebraska
34:12
was only a bit over 1,000,000 in 1897, and the fact that several
34:17
1000 people had now seen the mysterious ship represents A
34:21
substantial proportion. Every day the newspapers carried
34:25
notices of new visits to towns that had previously not had the
34:29
chance to view the wander, while other towns like Hastings and
34:32
Omaha had sufficient reason to establish a schedule so common
34:37
was the night visitor. It was clearly established that
34:40
some airship sightings were pure hoaxes, for example, the Wymore
34:45
Arbor State, which had previously been a firm proponent
34:48
of the reality of the craft, emitted on April 16th.
34:51
Quote The airship seen by the Exarbons at Omaha Monday night
34:56
is now declared a balloon, and the guilty man who sent it up
34:59
had confessed to the joke. End Quote The Fremont Herald
35:03
noted on April 18th. Quote It has developed that the
35:05
Waterloo, IA airship is a most cleverly constructed fake, about
35:10
40 feet long, 20 feet wide, 12 feet high, put up by a practical
35:15
joker during the past week and brought out Thursday night.
35:18
End Quote Perhaps the most difficult task for the
35:21
researcher is separating tongue in cheek newspaper reports from
35:25
those intended to be objective. For example, the following
35:29
report from the April 16th, 1897 issue of the Albion Weekly News
35:35
is clearly a spoof. They wrote.
35:37
Quote. Last Sunday Burt Disher and
35:40
Marcus Bullock went to Cedar Rapids to endeavor to find out,
35:44
if possible, at what point the Flying Machine landed after
35:47
leaving Saint Edward on Thursday night.
35:50
Mr. Disher is very reticent in regard to the matter, but Mr.
35:54
Bullock, who likes nothing better than to see his name in
35:56
print, gave us a history of the trip.
35:59
Soon after leaving the Rapids to come home about 3:00, when about
36:03
3 miles this side of that place, we observed a bright light in
36:07
the sky which seemed to be rapidly nearing the ground.
36:10
It soon began to take on form and finally we could see what
36:14
the thing was like. It was about 37 feet and three
36:17
inches long and 11 feet and 13 inches wide.
36:21
In shape it looked a great deal like Jake Long's and Connie
36:25
Egan's hats. It struck the ground about 3
36:28
inches from us and we went over to where it was.
36:31
When we arrived all we could find was a man standing there.
36:35
We asked him where his airship was, and putting his hand in his
36:39
vest pocket, he brought out a queer looking arrangement which
36:42
he informed us was the ship, and that whenever he landed he
36:46
compressed the machine so that people could not find it.
36:50
Bert gave him a cigarette and we came home.
36:53
End Quote. On the other hand, what is 1 to
36:56
make of a report like the following from the Table Rock?
36:59
Argus, April 16th, 1897. They wrote.
37:04
The mysterious airship was seen in Table Rock Tuesday night by
37:08
reputable citizens. It was going from the southeast
37:12
to the northwest and seem to be about 20 by 40 feet in size and
37:17
so brilliantly lighted that it lighted the sky for a great
37:20
distance around it over Table Rock.
37:23
It was going very slow, seemingly almost at a
37:26
standstill, as though something unusual was transpiring on it.
37:31
There were windows in the side, and the passengers seem to be
37:35
hurrying to and fro about its compartment.
37:38
Just how many persons were aboard could not be ascertained
37:41
even with the aid of a powerful glass brought into operation.
37:45
But there were at least 2 ladies in the company, one of whom
37:49
seemed to have her hands fastened as though chained to
37:52
the seat and the other seemed to be waiting on her, while the
37:56
figure of a man holding a huge revolver and sitting directly
38:00
opposite her left the impression on the minds of onlookers that
38:03
there was foul play aboard. Suddenly the windows darkened
38:08
and at the same instant the ship shot out of space so rapidly
38:12
that in the space of a few seconds it was out of sight and
38:16
the awe stricken crowd looked at each other terror stricken.
38:20
It is safe to say most of them fell into a disturbed slumber
38:23
when they went to sleep, while visions of the beautiful
38:26
prisoner on the mysterious airship build their dreams.
38:30
Those who vouch for this story are among the most reliable
38:33
citizens and are not given to imbibing bug juice and lay no
38:36
claims to vivid imaginations. And the Argus gives the story
38:40
for what it's worth. End Quote.
38:43
Checking only a limited number of Nebraska papers.
38:45
Between April 16th through the 22nd, sightings were reported at
38:49
Clark's Clay Center, Havelock, Harrison, Lyons, Hastings, NE
38:54
City, North Platte, Portal, Juanita and Franklin NE Vasila,
39:00
Waterloo and Jefferson in Iowa Pier, South Dakota, and one
39:04
location in Illinois. Papers consulted were the Omaha
39:08
World Herald and B Hastings Republican, Nebraska City News,
39:13
North Platte Telegraph, University Place Times, and the
39:16
Juanita Herald. The phenomena was now nearly
39:20
three months and 150 sightings old, and while the reports of
39:24
the craft were proliferating, explanations were keeping pace.
39:29
Stromsburg had a visit from an aircraft on April 13th, but the
39:33
excitement died down when it was found that pranksters had
39:36
launched a hot air balloon quote with a rod across the bottom to
39:40
which were attached to lanterns and quote.
39:43
It was worth noting that witnesses claimed that they had
39:46
seen the huge body and the rudder and wings of the craft,
39:49
as had been reported at other sightings.
39:53
Witnesses of the visit to Harrison near the Wyoming border
39:56
on April 18th reportedly were able to discern the form of the
39:59
ship and could so clearly see two passengers that they
40:03
tentatively identified 1 as Albert Whipple, who had
40:06
disappeared from Crawford after robbing the Crawford Baking
40:10
Company. Whipple had told a friend that
40:13
he was working on an airship and that someday he would startle
40:17
the world. Many believed this solved the
40:20
mystery that it was really an airship, and that it's inventor,
40:23
a fugitive from justice, was afraid to land in daylight and
40:27
make his wonderful invention known.
40:29
Lest anyone be impressed by the certainty of this account, it
40:33
should be noted that another witness asserted that the ship
40:36
resembled a huge man with wings. Others were so certain that it
40:40
was a metaphor that a party set out to the Butte, where it had
40:44
disappeared, to search for the pieces.
40:47
By now the existence of something had become so
40:49
accepted. The editor of the Fremont Herald
40:52
read another's assertion that there was no ship and everybody
40:57
should have known it, and wondered what he had been
40:59
drinking. But thousands of Midwesterners
41:02
who believe wholeheartedly in the mystery airship must have
41:05
done so more in spite of plausible explanations than
41:09
because of them. They wanted to believe, and
41:12
reports continued to pour in with bewilderingly diversity.
41:17
The North Platte Daily Telegraph carried an article on April
41:20
20th, 1897, that the airship had again been spotted and an
41:25
explanation was advanced for its presence.
41:29
John Lemasters, a local Craftsman and inventor, told
41:32
Telegraph reporters that he had been visited a week before by
41:36
two mysterious looking gentlemen who made a bargain with him to
41:40
devise a working model of an idea that they had wanted to
41:43
enlarge on. Lemasters agreed to the
41:46
arrangement and in secrecy they drew their plans for him and he
41:50
executed them in miniature. Described by Lemasters as a box
41:55
3/4 inch square with four windows, one on each side of
41:59
red, green, amber and white colored glass.
42:02
Over each window and arm 6 inches long, projected to which
42:06
was attached a fan or wing like attachment.
42:10
The men complimented Lemasters on his work and lack of
42:13
unwelcome inquisitiveness. They packed the box silently,
42:17
folded their tent, and disappeared.
42:20
The Lincoln Evening Post on April 21st, 1897, proclaimed
42:24
that the Riddle had been solved and that the countless thousands
42:28
who have watched the Ariel specter in its travels over the
42:31
Mississippi Valley can feel assured that they were not
42:34
suffering hallucination of sight or guilty of drinking a poor
42:37
brand of bitters. The Post had come into
42:40
possession of a letter dated April 20th, 1897, addressed to
42:46
the editor into whose hands this note falls, and sent from the
42:51
airship Pegasus. It read Quote.
42:55
The great problem of aerial navigation is at last solved,
42:59
and a mighty stride forward is at hand for humanity.
43:03
After having traveled twice across the American continent, I
43:07
have completed the half of the third journey from the southern
43:11
part of West Virginia to the Pacific Coast.
43:13
I do not wish to describe the mechanical workings of my air
43:16
machine until I file letters patent in Washington and the
43:20
larger cities of Europe. Suffice at this time to say that
43:24
the prime sustaining agency is a long Oval balloon pointed at
43:29
both ends and containing 30,000 cubic feet of a certain gas, not
43:33
hydrogen. The whole airship wane when
43:36
balloon inflated not more than 2500 lbs with a supporting power
43:41
of 1200. After having worked on for
43:45
almost three years on my place in southern West Virginia,
43:49
thought to be a crazy recluse by the simple Mountaineers, I have
43:53
been rewarded beyond all of my most sanguine hopes.
43:57
In the length of time that I have been afloat, about 42 days,
44:01
I have lived seemingly a whole century of ordinary life.
44:05
Nor would I forgo this rapturous delight for that of a whole
44:09
century of ordinary existence. At noon today I rose to an
44:14
elevation of nearly 2500 feet in search of a more direct current,
44:19
but found none so favorable as the one I'm in now.
44:23
I can choose my current, and should I find all against me, I
44:27
can make good headway with the propeller.
44:30
I experience at times considerable discomfort with the
44:33
cold and dampness, but do not find any difficulty in breathing
44:37
at the high altitudes, with the exception of a slight
44:40
constriction of the chest. I do not approach the earth
44:44
except during the night time. Sometimes passing over cities
44:47
and towns. The people seem to catch sight
44:49
of the ship when I drift near the earth.
44:52
I wonder what they think it is. Do they realize that it is the
44:55
Pegasus, the first to navigate space?
44:59
Signed JF Califan, captain of the Pegasus.
45:02
End Quote. The envelope in which the note
45:06
came had the request written on it that it be delivered to the
45:09
editor of the largest newspaper in whatever town that it
45:12
happened to be. Since it had been mailed at
45:16
10:30 that morning, the editor assumed that the envelope had
45:19
been found and mailed earlier that day.
45:22
The writing was written hurriedly in pencil, but, as the
45:25
editor observed, showed the captain to be thoroughly
45:29
educated. Another smaller note, tucked
45:32
into a corner of the envelope, was in a feminine hand quote,
45:37
evidently put in without the captain knowing it.
45:40
It read darkly. Another letter is dropped,
45:43
haunted, but nothing more was found.
45:45
Unregenerate skeptics continued to suggest that whatever airship
45:50
there might be was made of such stuff as came out of a whiskey
45:54
bottle, while others found the occasion to lampoon Nebraska's
45:59
rising Democratic politician. They said the craft was a
46:02
project of the government, most likely buoyed by hot air
46:05
generated by such experts as William Jennings Bryan.
46:10
The Ainsworth Star journal of April 22nd, 1897, anticipated
46:15
crop dusters by some decades in suggesting possible agricultural
46:19
applications of such an aircraft, they wrote.
46:22
Quote, don't get too high from the ground or let your machine
46:25
run faster than a mile a second. You may not hit the right spot
46:29
when sewing grain. Don't sew on days when the wind
46:32
is blowing harder than at a rate of a mile a minute, or your
46:36
grain may drop on someone else's farm.
46:39
All fields should be at least 5 miles long and six rods wide.
46:44
By making them in that shape, you can save time and seating.
46:47
Never use less than 12 cultivators or about 10 disc
46:51
harrows at one time. In that way, by using log chains
46:56
and fastening your cultivators to your airship, you can put in
46:59
your crop by making one round trip.
47:01
The whole thing may be accomplished by one man, 12
47:05
cigars and a pint of whiskey. No stop is needed for food or
47:08
water. End Quote.
47:11
And the April 22nd, 1897 Northern Nebraska Journal of
47:15
Ponca kept its readers abreast of the controversy by publishing
47:19
abstracts of editorial comment from daily newspapers around the
47:23
country, some of its scathing, none of it written by true
47:27
believers. While the cynics became more
47:30
vocal, the believers became more credulous.
47:33
The disclosure of hoaxes now and then must have disillusioned a
47:36
few proponents of the yes, there are so airships faction, but
47:41
there is evidence that occasionally scoffers saw the
47:44
light. Written Quote.
47:47
For some time the papers have been given accounts of the
47:50
airship floating through space in different parts of the
47:53
country. We have read these accounts and
47:55
in our superior wisdom laughed at the idea of people being so
47:59
far carried away by their imagination as to mistake a
48:02
brilliant star for an airship. But pride goeth before a fall,
48:07
and we are humiliated, for out of the mouths of our own people
48:12
we are condemned. On Tuesday night, the mysterious
48:15
airship was seen hovering over our little city by several
48:18
citizens. End Quote.
48:20
The April 25th, 1897 issue of the Omaha World Herald might as
48:24
well have been labeled Airship Edition, for it carried 3 major
48:29
and totally contradictory articles on the airship mystery.
48:33
The first, issued by His Royal Majesty King Exarbin, the third
48:38
King of Quivaria, the Omaha's fictional monarch, pronounced
48:42
the aerial light indeed real and fabricated by his court for the
48:46
wonder of his subjects. His Sublime Majesty said it was
48:50
of aluminum and could carry 20 men.
48:53
The second, a more serious treatment of the phenomenon,
48:56
recalled that a Clinton, a case inventor by nature, violin maker
49:01
by necessity, had two years previously submitted to
49:05
prominent Omahans plans for an airship and power source, which
49:09
he now obviously put into application.
49:12
The World Herald noted the similarity between his name and
49:15
that of AC Clinton, an applicant to Omaha's Trans Mississippi
49:20
Exposition for space for his airship, and suggested that the
49:24
letter had perhaps been genuine. The third article in the World
49:29
Herald carries an account of a flying machine that is more
49:32
easily disposed of. It read Quote in the office of
49:36
GW Suex, the Omaha patent solicitor, may have seen plans
49:41
of an airship that, it would seem, very nearly solves the
49:44
problem of aerial navigation. The invention is that of Henry
49:49
Heinz, of Elkton, SD. In this connection it would be
49:54
not at all strange if it turned out that the people of Nebraska
49:57
reported to have seen an airship, had really seen the
50:00
Heinz airship, as Elkton is little more than 200 miles from
50:04
Omaha. The invention, as described by
50:07
Mr. Suex is thought to be very nearly duplicated, though
50:12
mechanical means the flight of a bird.
50:14
The invention embodies an elongated aerial car, entirely
50:18
enclosed, provided with a steam engine to drive a shaft provided
50:23
with a buoyant propeller. Extending upward from this
50:26
aerial car are 10 hollow posts which are secured at their upper
50:30
ends to an elongated cigar shaped balloon which is to be
50:34
propelled point forward. Upon these 10 posts are 10
50:38
parachutes so arranged that they reciprocate in a vertical plane.
50:42
They are in belt connection with a driving shaft within the car
50:46
and are made to operate alternately.
50:49
It would not be at all surprising if inventor Heinz had
50:52
constructed an airship which could be made commercially and
50:55
profitable. End Quote.
50:57
Yes, it would have been surprising the solicitors
51:01
enthusiasm to the contrary, many imaginative airship builders
51:05
applied this principle to various craft and some of them
51:08
attained A heady altitude of 12 inches in between the bone
51:12
jarring Bronco like leaps that the vertically driven Pistons
51:16
occasioned. And a few managed to bounce 10
51:19
or 15 feet in random directions before the navigator decided to
51:23
abandon the craft and rescue his spine, or before the would be
51:28
aircraft collapsed in a jerking pile of broken machinery.
51:32
The airship dominated conversation, political,
51:35
religious, social, military and casual.
51:38
In Grand Island, it was suggested that the city siren be
51:41
blown at the next sighting to alert the entire population.
51:44
The crowning of new nights in the pageantry of Ex Arbin and
51:48
Omaha centered on the airship theme.
51:51
The Democrat leaning World Herald theorized that the reason
51:54
the craft never landed was that it had failed to find a good
51:58
Western Republican. For the election of 1900, the
52:02
Hastings Daily Republican suggested that the airship be
52:05
added to Uncle Sam's Navy, in view of the fact that it had
52:08
never yet run aground. The Beaver Valley Tribune,
52:11
apparently dissatisfied with the state government, reported that
52:15
the airship was seen in Lincoln, and the man who was engineering
52:18
the green light held his nose as they passed over the Capitol
52:21
building. An Arkansas preacher, according
52:24
to the Fremont Herald, said that the airship was the temple of
52:28
the Tabernacle of the testimony, and that the third Angel is now
52:32
pouring out from his vial upon the rivers and the fountains of
52:36
the water. This explained to his
52:38
satisfaction. Recent floods prolonged and
52:41
clear sightings of the craft in Nebraska city's Bluffs provided
52:45
new grist for the enthusiasts mill they wrote.
52:48
Quote Instead of being cigar or balloon shape, it is said to be
52:52
the exact shape of a shad minus head and tail.
52:55
The metal is aluminum bound around within thin strips of
52:59
steel. On each side of this are two
53:02
large wings which are fixed to knuckle and socket joints.
53:06
The wings can be moved up or down, backward or forward, or in
53:09
any direction. This makes the ship rise or fall
53:12
without any loss of gas. 2 motors, one electric and the
53:16
other NAFTA, give the motive power.
53:18
It is said that from the stern there is a propeller at least
53:22
nine feet in diameter, which has a maximum revolution of 900
53:26
turns a minute. The shad shaped portion is
53:29
filled with hydrogen gas, having a pressure of 27 lbs and the
53:32
lifting capacity of 1800 lbs. The passenger car underneath the
53:37
ship is 9 feet long, 4 feet wide and three feet deep.
53:40
It is made of bamboo and aluminum strips which combine
53:44
strength and lightness. The navigator is said to carry
53:47
provisions in the shape of canned goods and compressed
53:50
biscuits. Aluminum vessels comprise the
53:52
culinary utensils. Several presumably truthful
53:56
citizens of that section who were in the city today have
54:00
given the foregoing account of the vessel.
54:02
They say that they came upon the vessel resting on top of a bluff
54:07
in a cleared place in the timber 6 miles South of the city, last
54:10
Wednesday night. Two men were at work on it and
54:13
explained that they had been compelled to return to earth
54:16
because the machinery was out of order.
54:19
One of the men said his name was Professor Charles Davidson.
54:23
He is alleged to have said that the vessel left Sacramento a
54:26
month ago and has been since sailing all over the country and
54:30
quote the reality now began to catch up with the airship
54:34
mystery. Experimenters were everywhere
54:37
with schemes, ideas and some minor successes with small
54:40
lighter than air objects, and the Wilbur and Orville Wright
54:44
age of heavier than air motorized craft was only six
54:47
years hence. A Professor Barnard gave
54:50
exhibitions at the Nashville, TN Exposition with his airship.
54:55
It was considered the most wonderful invention of the age.
54:58
Once, after floating to a landing 12 miles east of town,
55:02
he issued this statement. Quote.
55:04
I find I can manipulate the machine right or left, even in a
55:08
light wind. This is certain.
55:10
I cannot go directly against a wind of 8 miles an hour with
55:13
muscular power as at present arranged, but by cutting across
55:17
obliquely I can make progress in the direction desired.
55:21
End Quote. The Hastings Republicans sniffed
55:23
that the Nashville craft invariably was brought back on a
55:27
lumber wagon. It was more complimentary to the
55:30
less ambitious experiments of Professor Lloyd McLean of nearby
55:33
Juanita, who sent aloft and airship kites and flags.
55:37
Quote Lookout for Mclean's airship July 3rd.
55:40
The local committee are negotiating with Professor
55:42
McLean with view of securing his flock of kites.
55:45
As a July 3rd feature. He will float a 30 foot flag at
55:49
a height of 1000 feet. McLean is the original airship
55:52
inventor. End Quote The down to earth
55:55
Hastings Tribune could not, however, let the spaceship
55:58
frenzy rest without poking fun one last time at the true
56:02
believers, they wrote. Quote Wednesday night at the
56:05
westbound train number 3 Burlington had run about 5 miles
56:09
West of Kennesaw. Engineer Johnson saw a red light
56:12
which was being swung to and fro across the track as a warning of
56:16
danger. Cautiously approaching the
56:18
light, he came to a dead stop. During these days of washouts it
56:22
does not take much of A danger signal to stop a train.
56:25
An engineer, Johnson wondered if there had been a cloudburst in
56:28
the vicinity. He was soon relieved of any
56:31
fears upon that score by a man with a red light approaching the
56:35
engine and asking whether he could borrow a bushel of coal.
56:38
Johnson asked what in the world he wanted to do with so much
56:42
coal. Out upon that houseless piece of
56:44
Prairie, the man said, Just look out the South side of your cab,
56:49
and you will see the airship, about which there is so much
56:51
wonder these days. Sure enough, there was the
56:55
mysterious wonder. Mr. Johnson had no time to stop
56:58
and examine the machine, but told the fireman to fill the
57:01
man's basket with coal. While the filling of the basket
57:05
was going on, the engineer of the airship asked, What kind of
57:08
coal do you use? Mr. Johnson replied, Why,
57:12
Newcastle, of course. Where?
57:14
Upon the engineer of the airship, said Newcastle be
57:17
damned, do you suppose I could trust myself up a mile in the
57:20
air and depend on that stuff for steam?
57:23
Well, not much. I'm sorry to have stopped you.
57:26
I will go out to a farmers field and get some corn stalks and
57:28
straw. So long, old man, End Quote.
57:32
And so long it was to the Nebraska Mystery Ship.
57:37
What indeed was the phenomenon? Was it a fake?
57:41
The Hastings Tribune hinted darkly on May 7th Quote The
57:44
Tribune is on the ground floor to know that this is the biggest
57:48
fake ever published. End Quote.
57:50
And it should be remembered that the first news reports of the
57:53
airship in Nebraska came from Hastings.
57:56
Was it merely A trumped up story on a slow Newsday that exploded
58:01
into hysteria? It seems unlikely that the
58:04
airship could have been a prototype of a dirigible or
58:09
airplane. Where could it have taken off
58:11
and where could have it landed? Tennessee reports indicated the
58:15
Nashville craft was unmaneuverable even in the hands
58:18
of the best engineers. European flying machine
58:22
developers had attained nothing that could approach the
58:24
described characteristics of the American airship, which moved in
58:28
all directions under total control and could fly swiftly or
58:32
even against the wind, if witnesses could be believed.
58:36
Was it purely a figment of an imagination?
58:39
Hundreds of people saw the ship at the same time and concurred
58:42
in descriptions. Independent descriptions were
58:45
virtually identical. The ship's course was traced
58:49
with the Telegraph. In the incomplete data
58:51
discovered, there were nearly 200 sightings reported.
58:55
It seems only appropriate that some credence be given this mass
58:59
of evidence, much of it volunteered by persons who faced
59:03
cruel ridicule. Other possibilities lie open,
59:06
and although unattractive to the scientist and historian, they
59:10
are all the more tantalizing for the folklorist.
59:14
And yet the material is not, to my mind, the stuff of folklore.
59:19
What is perhaps most fascinating about the 1890s flying saucer
59:24
scare is that accounts of them were not passed on to the next
59:28
generation. One would think tales of the
59:31
supernatural extraterrestrial, if that makes up what they were,
59:35
could be the kind of material that makes up the legend, the
59:38
wander tale or belief tale, But that has not been the case in
59:43
the investigation. I have yet to find a single
59:46
airship narrative in oral transmission.
59:50
They died with the people who experienced them.
59:54
Of the thousands of people that I've mentioned to this, not a
59:56
single one had heard of the Flying machine syndrome, except
1:00:00
from newspaper research. Why should something so
1:00:04
controversial that captured the imagination of a large audience?
1:00:08
Fade away so totally. There are at least three
1:00:11
possible explanations. One, as noted, the wonder of
1:00:16
fantasy, or at any rate mystery, was eclipsed by the unlikelihood
1:00:20
of reality. 2 The mood of the time may have been, as it is
1:00:24
today, very difficult for witnesses reporting flying
1:00:27
saucers. Such was the case centuries ago
1:00:30
when sailors reported the impossible feat of sailing
1:00:33
against the wind or three. Whatever it was that people
1:00:37
observed may have ceased to appear.
1:00:40
Yet perhaps the field of folklore is nonetheless the
1:00:43
place for the study of the phenomenon.
1:00:46
Folklorists have long examined the occult and the mysterious,
1:00:49
whether truly folklore or not, as background for the
1:00:53
traditional tale. Moreover, folklorists have
1:00:56
rarely been reluctant to approach what is labeled by
1:00:59
others as superstition. For folklore, the substance as
1:01:02
well as the field proceeds from the view that there are things
1:01:06
that we do not know, while the popular practitioner of
1:01:09
scientific methodology has all too often suffered from the
1:01:12
arrogance of not realizing that most scientific statements are
1:01:16
ultimately only these and subject to revision.
1:01:20
Thank you for listening to the Nebraska History Podcast.
1:01:23
To learn more about Nebraska History Magazine, to listen to
1:01:26
more podcasts, or to support our podcast by becoming a member of
1:01:30
the Nebraska State Historical Society, go to
1:01:32
history.nebraska.gov/podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to
1:01:37
the podcast and get notified when we release new episodes on
1:01:40
your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, I'm Chris
1:01:44
Goforth.