Watches 'Flying Saucer' OLDEN GATE ndicap Results Oakland Tribune ESTABLISHED FEBRUARY 21, 1874 * OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA METRO FINAL PM YEAR, NO. 81 TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 1966 DAILY, $2.25 A MONTH Eerie 1896 Sighting By JIM HAZELWOOD The so-called Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO's) seen recently in Michigan by at least 87 people, recall a bizarre story which appeared in The Tribune 70 years ago. The date was Nov. 23, 1896, and a reporter had many wit- ness over an "airship" flying over Oakland. But this date was 10 years be- fore the Wright brothers made the first successful heavier- than-air flight at Kitty Hawk. Aerial balloons, however, had been known for decades. The Oakland "airship" was the talk of the town for days and a number of other sightings were reported, from as far away as Red Bluff. Although the original story told the craft resembled a "huge dark," later sightings mentioned an egg-shaped craft with a beak ends. It should be borne in mind that shapes of aircraft and out- lines of airships were still unheard of the future when the following story, reproduced in part, was written. "That a huge airship has been hovering over Oakland for the last few nights has in the minds of many been conclusive- ly proven. A number of persons whose integrity is unquestiona- ble have seen the strange navi- gator of the air and this morn- ing no little crazy street origin- ation has been pronounced. "Last evening at about 7:30 o'clock, the passengers on an Alameda car were startled by the sight of a brilliant stream of light high in the heavens off in the direction of Hayward. "The passengers distinctly saw the outline of an airship and watched its maneuvers high in the skies. The ship resembles a huge bird in its outlines and seemed to rise and fall in its course. A light streamed from the head of the ship, throwing a white stream of light for sever- al hundred yards. "As the outlines of the airship were plainly discerned, the pas- sengers in the street car be- came greatly excited. "The phenomenon had first been noted by a man who had been idly watching the heavens. As soon as he perceived the light, he attracted the attention of the other passengers and all, intensely interested, watched the peculiar motions as it made its way through the skies. "It was high in the heavens. It appeared to be of huge size. When first seen, it seemed to be floating over San Leandro. It moved rapidly, going at least 20 miles an hour. It shot across the skies to the northwest, then it turned quickly and disap- peared in the direction of Hay- ward. "Not only was the airship seen by the passengers, but many other residents of this city distinctly saw the brilliant light and the huge bird-like body floating in mid air. "Some of the spectators were acquainted with each other and yet their stories are startlingly similar, agreeing as to time, di- rection of the airship, and de- scription." "These facts leave little doubt in the minds of many people that a successful airship has been invented and is navigating the heavens." 87 Coeds Observe 'Object' HILLSDALE, Mich. (UPI)—A county civil defense director and 87 co-eds said today they watched an eerie, hovering flying object settle in a swampy hollow near a college dormitory last night. William Va Horn, 41, Hillsdale county civil defense director for 10 years, said he watched the unidentified object through bino- culars for three hour. It was the second straight night a large number of wit- nesses reported seeing strange unidentified flying objects in Southern Michigan. Sunday night a dozen policemen and at least 40 other persons watched a similar object, guarded by four other ships, land in a swamp about 50 miles northeast of here near Ann Arbor, Mich. SCIENTIFIC CONSULTANT The Air Force announced it was calling in Dr. J. Allen Hy- nek, chairman of the Dearborn Observatory at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., and scientific consultant to the Air Force's UFO study program, to investigate the rash of sight- ings. Hynek will work from Sel- fridge Air Force Base at Mount Clemens, Mich., the Air Force said. Van Horn said he joined the 87 Hillsdale college co-eds last night marveling at the weird, lit object. He said it emitted red- green orange and and white lights and appeared to hover just above the swamp some 1,- 000 to 1,500 yards from the dor- mitory. It was still there when he left about 1:30 a.m. today, he said. "It was definitely some kind of vehicle," Van Horn said. He said it changed from orange to red, perhaps with a running light of some kind, and had a blue light at one end. "From all appearances it did not appear to be sitting on the ground as it moved back and forth across the ground," he said. HAMOPERATORS Thunderstorms lashed the area as Van Horn and the col- lege girls watched from a sec- ond floor dormitory window. Po- lice said three squad cars full officers reported the object also not visible from the road. Van Horn said he saw three smaller objects in the air Fri- day night. He said William Val- rant, coordinator of a ham rad- io club of some 40 youths, has reported several UFO sightings in this area during the past 10 days. Van Horn said he could not establish the object's shape. "Through the glasses it was fuzzy, round or oblong," he said. I think that what makes this light on these things change colors is that they are rotating at a terrical minute." Van Horn was called by girls at the dormitory. The co-eds reported the object alternately glowed red, white, blue and other colors. They said it rose up and down, appearing to stay in motion and only again just when it was about to leave into the glow from a nearby airport beacon light. He verified and horizontal movements were too fast for any airplane, the girls said. The announcement that Hynek was being called in came from Selfridge, a base near Detroit Binghamton, N. Y., October 24, 1965 THE SUNDAY PRESS ENCOUNTER WITH A SPACE SHIP 'I Know What I Saw'; Egg-Shaped Craft By KEITH GEORGE Newark Valley—Gary T. Wilcox is a young man dogged by rumors. People say his dairy farm has gone bust be- cause nothing will grow on the land. Others who meet him on the street express surprise, say- ing they'd heard he was in a New York City hospital suf- fering from radiation burns. But the strangest of all, and it under guard the govern- ment story and that there is a deceased guard in his pas- ture where nothing will grow. The handsome, 28-year-old farmer says none of these tales is true. But the strangest of all, and the basis for the rumors, is his encounter with a space ship and his talk with its crew some 18 months ago. That happened, Mr. Wilcox says. "I know what I saw for two hours. I was talking with them and even joking with them." Mr. Wilcox touched the craft—he felt egg-shaped craft and heard its occupants, garbed occupants explain in smooth English that work from Mars, he said. When he turned to get them a bag of fertilizer, as they requested, the ship lifted off the ground and was out of sight in sec- onds, he recalled. In the weeks after he re- ported the incident to the Tioga County Sheriff's De- partment, curious people visited his farm by the dozen. They trampled over what said they were from govern- ment agencies and others who identified themselves as offi- cials of the IBM Space Gui- dance Center in nearby Owe- go, the farmer said. Most were just snoopers who wanted to see the landing spot for themselves. One man who also claimed GARY WILCOX to be a saucer-seer told Mr. Wilcox he had hitchhiked from Massachusetts to talk to him. Other space-ship fans tele- phoned him and urged him to join their organizations. But Mr. Wilcox, who pro- fesses he only wants to mind his own business and wants a living, steered clear of such affiliations. He had the tele- phone removed from his dairy barn because it was ringing so often he couldn't keep up with the chores, he said. If any responsible agency ever determined exactly what happened in that remote corn- er of his farm last spring, he has yet to hear about it. Mr. Wilcox did not mean particularly happy to see a reporter show up at his farm one morning last week. He wasn't rude, either. When the reporter arrived, he farmer was in a hurry pitching corn feed for a ravenous stock of his 45 cows. "I only have so much time to get this work done, and don't stop," he said. "This is the kind of work you should be doing," he joked. "You buy a cow or 45 cows and you'll buy or another job, too." Mr. Wilcox has an afternoo and evening job as janitor a Berkshire School. "I don't know where a these stories are coming fro now. I thought it was all ov last year, but now everybo is talking again. "The best one is about m being in a New York City ho pital with radiation burn People have said they hea it on the radio. I've nev been in a hospital in my life "Then some woman put the newspaper that there w no grass growing where th thing landed. There w never much growing ther But there's corn now. "Nobody ever talked to m about these things. They ju keep telling stories." In answer to a question, M Wilcox said his sighting the mysterious craft and i crew and the widespread spe ulation over the report has n hurt his personal life. "I just don't worry abou it. I know what I saw an what people have said thing I even thought somebody wa playing a joke on me, but was in the middle for a years and not even jet plane take off that fast." If he had it to do ove again, would he keep the in cident a secret? "No, I've got nothing t hide. I would report it. If saw another one today I'd d the same thing. Then peopl would say I'm crazy." Mr. Wilcox, who is a alumnus and lives in the ol high, feeds and cares for th stock in the mornings. A ma hired family lives in th homestead of the 350-acr farm does the milking. M Wilcox also owns a farm nea Owego where he grows the crops, he said. He gives the impression tha he would like to believe th whole episode was a joke o some kind, put knows i wasn't. He said he thinks tha eventually the explanation wi be supplied, to him and th rest of the world. "A man down in Berkshir says he saw something lik this recently, too. I'm not th only one." The two human-like spac men wore coveralls over the faces, under under-on and head they did have little space creatures, he said. But he has no better ex planation. On his way home, the re porter stopped at a diner an invited flying saucer conver sation from the waitress. "That's where they say i landed," she said, pointin out the window. "Right ove the hill. I don't think he wa stretching the truth. He's a reliable man and if he say he saw it, I believe him. They say there's a spot on thos Sunday, May 10, 1966 * GALLUP POLL 'han 5 Million People ey Saw Flying Saucers THE SHEBOYGAN PRESS, Monday, April 18, 1966 Sherill Aides Chase A UFO; Were 'Close' RAVENNA, Ohio (AP)—"We were close, closer than I ever want to be again," said a depu- ty sheriff who chased an un- identified flying object from Ohio into Pennsylvania. Hundreds of persons in both states reported seeing the "bril- liant and shiny" object early Sunday morning. Police Chief Gerald Buchert of Mantua, about seven miles north of Ravenna, said he shot The Ventura County (Calif.) Star-Free Press 4-1-66 Two in County Claim They Saw 'Glowing' UFO