◆ SpookStack

BY KENNETH ARNOLD The following story of what I observed over the Cascade mountains, as impossible as it may seem, is positively true. I never asked nor wanted any notoriety for just accidently being in the right spot at the richt time to observe what I did. I reported somethine thet 1 know any pilot would have reported. I don't think thet in ony wey my observation was due to any Sensivity of eye sicht or judgment than what is considered normal for any vilot. On June 24th, Tuesday, 1947, I had finished my work for the Central Air Service at Chehalis, Washington, and at about two o'clock I took off fron Chehalis, Washington, airport with the intention of scoing to Yakima, Wash. y trip was delayed for an hour to search for e large marine transport that supposedly went down near or around the southwest Side of Mit. Rainier in the state of Washington and to date has never been found. I flew directly toward Mt. Rainior after reaching an altitude of about 9,500 feet, which is tho approximate elevation of the hich plateau from which Mt. Rainer rises. I had made one sweep of this high plateau to the westward, searching all of the various ridges for this marine ship and flew to the west down and near the ridge side of the canyon where Ashford, Washington, is located. Unable to see anything thet looked like the lost ship, I made a 360 degree turn to the richt end above the little city of Mineral, startins again toward Mte Rainier. I climbed back up to an altitude of approximately 9,200 feet. The air was so smooth that day that it was a real pleasure flying and, as most pilots do when the air is smooth and they are flying at a higher altitude, I trimmed out my airplane in the direction of Yakima, Washington, which was almost directly east of my position end simply sat in my plane ob- serving the sky and the terrain.