◆ SpookStack

“ee Ae ee i) wb a ae Boveaber 9, 1950 On May 25, 1949, about 4:00 a.m., a captive balloon escaped, The balloon vas of rubberized nylon fabric, 18' long end 7' is "pies Ganter.. Tne balloon was found to have landed om the ocutekirte of ee ; ea P : -_ Toufon, Tennessee, before 5:00 a.m. on the same date. ays ‘Bete oe ns uccessful goarch was mide for the balloon by aircraft on the 32°. Pternood of May 25. A phone cell from an employee of the University Firk:} of Tennessee : reported seeing an object pass over his house about noon on the 25th. It was described as a flat metallic object and was eccampanied by a flapping notee. GRMN ., and myself picked up the preacher at the University's Agricultural Division and began a search for the object which supposedly was our escaped captive balloon. The result of this search was. that 5 people living in an area of about ten (10) square miles, each of whom gave a definite time and direction on en object of the same description passing over this section at the time which the preacher hed stated he had sean a metallic object. The path of the floating object was traced to the river, at which time - the preacher vas returned to hie work at the University ant Gp and I croesed the river and resumed the search behind Mentor along the approximate tract described by the previous people interviewed. A feuily was located, whose names are not recorded, who described the same type of metallic obfect resembling a sheet ef retfing flying through the air at @ low altitude, and making a flapping or cracking noise at the approrimte time given by the first group of pecpie of people interviewed. As no further reports could be obtained, return was made to the Knoxville Airport with « view toward comtinuing air search in this section. At thie tims, 3:00 p.m., May 26, 1949, a phone call was received stating that the balloon had been stored in a shed since 5:00 a.m. on the 25th. CERTIFIED TRUE COPY: /e/ WILLIAM B. GRAY GAC, Knoxville, Tenn.