◆ SpookStack

Planes Chasing Disks Find Only Empty Sky i were flying over Lewiston, Idaho, Jokesters A d dwn announcement tH&t tisk Some Comedy to Air Mystery East St. Louis Objec Prove to Be Washers; hicago Woman Spots ne With Legs By the United Press Army pilots were ready Monday for another air search for the mys- |j terious “flying saucers” now report- ed seen in 39 states and parts of Canada as practical jokesters added to the confusion, Equipped with telescopic cam- eras, 11 army planes searched the Pacific northwest Sunday without finding any trace of the flying disks which had been reported over scores of communities the preceding two days, At Sioux Falls, S, D., a na- tional guard plane already in the air | ‘was ordered to investigate a silvery) disk with a short tail which Gregory), Zimmer said he saw shoot across the heavens. The pilot found noth- | ing but empty sky. The army “camera patrol” over | the Cascade mountains Sunday in- cluded eight P-51 pursuit ships an three A-26 bombers, Illusions Or Jokes ‘There was growing belief that the concentrated aerial search would show the saucers to be optical illu- sions or the work of practical jok sters magnified by aroused imagi- nations. A number of “disks” whirled over rooftops in ast St. Louis, IIL, Sun- day. J.T. Hartley, a locomotive en- ineer, gathered some of them up d found they were made of phessed white paper, 11 inches in adilmeter and with a two inch hole in the center, Railroad workers said they looked like locomotive packing washers. Sunday sent* hundreds into their yards for a look, Weatherman Louis Krezak said the objects were mov- ing eastward with the prevailing wind and probably were ‘eed seeds. ‘Three air transport pilots agreed. Searchlights on Clouds A Birmingham radio station was| deluged with more than 400 calls in one hour by persons who said they saw fluorescent balls circling over the city and clearly outlined agafnst | near-by mountains. A carnival at Alabaster, Ala., was playing search- lights on cloud wisps. n argument raged at Lodi, Calif, | oyer the cause of a spectacular glow. the sky and a roar shortly before lectrical power went off. Mrs. W. IC, Smith said she heard a noise “like | Give ’Em Room Newport News, Va.—Peninsula airport here is taking no chances with flying saucers. Pilots report- ing Monday to take out planes found this notice on the bulletin board: “Two thousand feet ver- tical and horizontal clearance re- quired between aircraft operat- ing from this field and any fly- four motored bomber” just before the lights went off at dawn, Erving Newcomb of the Pacific Gas & Blec- trie Co, offered the explanation that a low flying crop dusting plane] |probably had struck a power lin and burned out a transformei However, no planes were report damaged and no one could explain Mat Wtrep dusting plane was do- iug in the ate ct dawreorbunday. It was the first time any noise had ‘been attributed to flying saucers. J. U. Watts, jr, Darlington (S. C.) attorney, said he saw an army pur- suit plane chasing a V-formation of flying saucers at 250 miles an hour 3,000 feet high. However, no pilot reported such a chase. Saw One With Legs Meantime, authorities were Plagued with reports that bordered on the fantastic. An excited Chi- cago woman reported that she had seen a flying saucer with legs, “I wes standing on my porch and I th ught for sure it was coming right Ma and slap me in the face,” s shi. eorge Kuger of Denver said sa} a flying disk with an Americal flag on it. Francis Howell, Tempe, Ariz., claimed he saw a saucer two feet in diameter disappear behind a row of trees near his home. When he rushed to inspect it, he said, the flat, thin, aluminumlike disk took off at a “high rate of speed” toward Phoenix, nine miles away. Mrs. Walter Johnson returned to Spokane, Wash. after a vacation near St. Maries, Idaho, and after reading newspaper reports of the flying saucers said she and several others had seen speeding shiny ob- jects “as big as a four or five room| house” disappear into the forest covéred mountains. he first of the saucers over New ‘Y¢rk State was reported by Mrs. Kfnneth Wohley of Rochester, N. ‘Y} who said she and her husbdnd saw an object “about the size of pn ordinary saucer” flying above Her back yard at 8:30 p.m. Sunday. ® 20 Rag LL ILe9 al, B13 fae