With Quakes & Noise

    "Upon the 2nd of April, 1808, over the town of Pignerol, Piedmont, Italy, a loud sound was heard: in many places in Piedmont an earthquake was felt. In the Rept.B.A., 1854-68, it is said that aerial phenomena did occur; that, before the explosion, luminous objects had been seen in the sky over Pignerol, and that in several of the communes in the Alps aerial sounds, as if of innumerable stones colliding, had been heard, and that quakes had been felt. From April 2 to April 8, forty shocks were recorded at Pignerol; sounds like cannonading were heard at Barga. Upon the 18th of April, two detonations were heard at LaTour, and a luminous object was seen in the sky. The supposition, or almost absolute belief of most persons is that from the 2nd to the 18th of April this earth had moved far in its orbit and was rotating so that, if one should explain that probably meteors had exploded here, it could not very well be thought that more meteors were continuing to pick out this one point upon a doubly moving planet. But something was specially related to this one local sky. Upon the 19th of April, a stone fell from the sky at Borgo San Donnino, about 40 miles east of Piedmont (Rept.B.A., 1860). Sounds like cannonading were heard almost every day in this small region. Upon the 13th of May, a red cloud such as marks the place of a meteoric explosion was seen in the sky. Throughout the rest of the year, phenomena that are now listed as 'earthquakes' occurred in Piedmont. The last occurrence of which I have record was upon Jan.22, 1810." (Pages 391-392)

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Red Lights in the Sky

      "In Nature, 58-224, a correspondent writes that, upon July 1, 1898, at Sedberg, he had seen a light in the sky ---a red object--- or, in his own wording, something that looked like the red part of a rainbow, about 10 degrees long. But the sky was dark at the time. The sun had set. A heavy rain was falling." (Page 302) Aug.22, 1885--- Saigon, Cochin-China --- according to Lieut.Revellere, of the vessel Guiberteau--- object like a magnificent red star but larger than the planet Venus ---it moved no faster than a cloud in a moderate wind; observed 7 to 8 minutes, then disappearing behind clouds." (Page 456)
      "Monthly Weather Review, August, 1898-358: Two letters from C.N.Crotsenburg, Crow Agency, Montana: That, in the summer of 1896, when this writer was a railroad postal clerk--- or one who was experienced in train-phenomena--- while his train was going 'northward,' from Trenton, Mo., he and another clerk saw, in the darkness of a heavy rain, a light that appeared to be round, and a dull-rose-color, and seemed to be about a foot in diameter. It seemed to float within a hundred feet of the earth, but soon rose high, or 'midway between the horizon and zenith.' The wind was quite strong from the east, but the light held a course almost due north. Its speed varied. Sometimes it seemed to outrun the train 'considerably.' At other times it seemed to fall behind. The mailclerks watched until the town of Linville, Iowa, was reached. Behind the depot of this town, the light disappeared, and was not seen again. All this time there had been rain, but very little lightning, but Mr.Crotsenburg offers the explanation that it was 'ball lightning'. The Editor of the review disagrees. He thinks that the light may have been a reflection from the rain, or fog, or from leaves of trees, glistening with rain, or the train's light--- not lights. In the December number of the Review is a letter from Edward M.Boggs--- that the light was a reflection, perhaps, from the glare--- one light, this time--- from the locomotive's fire-box, upon wet telegraph wires--- an appearance that might not be striated by the wires, but consolidated into one rotundity---- that it had seemed to oscillate with the undulations of the wires, and had seemed to change horizontal distance with the varying angles of reflection, and had seemed to advance or fall behind, when the train had rounded curves. All of which is typical of the best of quasi-reasoning. It includes and assimilates diverse data: but it excludes that which will destroy it: That, acceptably, the telegraph wires were alongside that track beyond, as well as leading to Linville. Mr.Crotsenburg thinks of 'ball lightning,' which, though a sore bewilderment to most speculation, is usually supposed to be a correlate with the old system of thought: but his awareness of 'something else' is expressed in other parts of his letters, when he says that he has something to tell that is 'so strange that I should never have mentioned it, even to my firends, had it not been corroborated...so unreal that I hesitated to speak of it, fearing that it was some freak of the imagination." (Pages 298-299)

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Lights Seen Only Once

    "In the Observatory, 35-168, it is said that, according to a newspaper, March 6, 1912, residents of Warmley, England, were greatly excited by something that was supposed to be ' a splendidly illuminated aeroplane, passing over the village.' ' The machine was apparently traveling at a tremendous rate, and came from the direction of Bath, and went on toward Gloucester.' The Editor says that it was a large, triple-headed fireball. 'Tremendous indeed!' he says. ' But we are prepared for anything nowadays.'" (Page 261)
      "London Times, Sept.19, 1848: That, at Inverness, Scotland, two large, bright lights that looked like stars had been seen in the sky: sometimes stationary, but occasionally moving at high velocity." (Page 295)
      "L'Annee Scietifique, 1888-66: Observed near St.Petersberg, July 30, 1880, in the evening: a large spherical light and two smaller ones moving along a ravine: visible three minutes; disappearing without noise." (Page 295)
      "In the Report of the British Association, 1877-152, there is a description of a group of 'meteors' that traveled with 'remarkable slowness.' They were in sight about three minutes. 'Remarkable,' it seems, is scarcely strong enough: one reads of 'remarkable' as applied to a duration of three seconds. These 'meteors' had another peculiarity; they left no train. They are described as 'seemingly huddled together like a flock of geese, and moving with the same velocity and grace of regularity.'" (Page 296)

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Lights That Returned

    "About 8 lights that were seen in Wales, over an area of about 8 miles, all keeping their own ground, whether moving together perpendicularly, horizontally, or over a zigzag course. They looked like electric lights--- disappearing, reappearing dimly, then shining as bright as ever. 'We have seen them three or four at a time afterward, on four or five occasions.' London Times, Oct.5, 1877: 'From time to time the west coast of Wales seems to have been the scene of mysterious lights.... And now we have a statement from Towyn that within the last few weeks lights of various colors have been seen moving over the estuary of the Dysynni River, and out to sea. They are generally in a northerly direction, but sometimes they hug the shore, and move at high velocity for miles toward Aberdovey, and suddenly disappear. (Page 295)
      "L'Annee Scientifique, 1877-45: Lights that appeared in the sky, above Vence, France, March 23, 1877; described as balls of fire of dazzling brightness; appeared from a cloud about a degree in diameter; moved relatively slowly. They were visible more than an hour, moving northward. It is said that eight or ten years before similar lights or objects had been seen in the sky, at Vence." (Page 295)
      "'The False Lights of Durham.' Every now and then in the English newspapers in the middle of the nineteenth century, there is something about lights that were seen against the sky, but as if not far above land, oftenest upon the coast of Durham. They were mistaken for beacons by sailors. Wreck after wreck occurred. The fishermen were accused of displaying false lights and profiting by wreckage. The fishermen answered that mostly only old vessels, worthless except for insurance, were so wrecked. In 1866 (London Times, Jan.9, 1866) popular excitement became intense. There was an investigation. Before a commission, headed by Admiral Collinson, testimony was taken. One witness described the light that had deceived him as 'considerably elevated above ground.' No conclusion was reached: the lights were called 'the mysterious lights.' But whatever the 'false lights of Durham' may have been, they were unaffected by investigation. In 1867, the Tyne Pilotage Board took the matter up. Opinion of the Mayor of Tyne--- 'a mysterious affair.' " (Page 296)
     "Nature, May 25, 1893: A letter from Capt.Charles J.Norcock, of H.M.S. Caroline: That, upon the 24th of February, 1893, at 10 p.m., between Shanghai and Japan, the officer of the watch had reported 'some unusual lights.' They were between the ship and the mountain. The mountain was about 6,000 feet high. The lights seemed to be globular. They moved sometimes massed, but sometimes strung out in an irregular line. They bore 'northward,' until lost to sight. Duration two hours. The next night the lights were seen again. They were, for a time, eclipsed by a small island. They bore north at about the the same speed and in about the same direction as speed and direction of the Caroline. But they were lights that cast a reflection: there was a glare upon the horizon under them. A telescope brought out but few details: that they were reddish, and seemed to emit a faint smoke. This time the duration was seven and a half hours. Then Capt.Norcock says that, in the same general locality, and at about the same time, Capt.Castle, of H.M.S. Leander, had seen lights. He had altered his course and had made toward them. The lights had fled from him. At least, they had moved higher in the sky. " (Pages 296-297)

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