Mirages Of Cities And Towns

"In June of 1801, a mirage of an unknown city appeared for more than an hour in Youghal County, Cork, Ireland. It was "a representation of mansions, surrounded by shrubbery and white palings--- forests behind. In October, 1796, a mirage of a walled town had been seen distinctly for half an hour at Youghal. Upon March 9, 1797, had been seen a mirage of a walled town." (Page 391) In Country Queries and Notes, 1-328, it is said that, upon Aug.2, 1908, at Ballyconneely, Connemara coast of Ireland, was seen a phantom city of different-sized houses, in different styles of architecture; visible three hours." (Page 490)
      In the summer of 1847, a man (M.Grellois) reported "...that he was traveling between Ghelma and Bone, when he saw, to the east of Bone, upon a gently sloping hill, 'a vast and beautiful city, adorned with monuments, domes, and steeples.' There was no resemblance to any city known to M.Grellios." (Page 421) On September 27, 1846, a city appeared in the sky over Liverpool, England. "The apparition is said to have been a mirage of Edinburgh. This 'identification' seems to have been the product of suggestion: at the time a panorama of Edinburgh was upon exhibition in Liverpool." (Page 421) On October 10, 1881, the mirage of a village appeared at Rugenwalde, Pomerania. The mirage-village was described as having "...snow-covered roofs from which hung icicles; human forms distinctly visible. It was believed that the mirage was a representation of the town Nexo, on the island of Bornholm. Rugenwalde is on the Baltic, and Nexo is about 100 miles northwest, in the Baltic." (Page 444) On March 16, 1890, in the sky over Ashland, Ohio, appeared "...a representation of a large, unknown city. By some persons it was supposed to be a mirage of the town of Mansfield, thirty miles away; other observers thought that they recognized Sandusky, sixty miles away. 'The more superstitious declared that it was a vision of the New Jerusalem'." (Page 409).
     "In the English Mechanic, Sept.10, 1897, a correspondent to the Weekly Times and Echo is quoted. He had just returned from the Yukon. Early in June, 1897, he had seen a city pictured in the sky of Alaska. "Not one of us could form the remotest idea in what part of the world this settlement could be. Some guessed Toronto, others Montreal, and one of us even suggested Pekin. ...This wonderful mirage occurs from time to time yearly, and we were not the only ones who witnessed the spectacle. ...According to this correspondent, the 'mirage' did not look like any of the cities named, but like 'some immense city of the past'. In the New York Tribune, Feb.17, 1901, it is said that Indians of Alaska had told of an occasional appearance, as if of a city, suspended in the sky, and that a prospector, named Willoughby, having heard the stories, had investigated, in the year 1887, and had seen the spectacle. It is said that, having several times attempted to photograph the scene, Willoughby did finally at least show an alleged photograph of an aerial city. ...For the first identification of the Willoughby photograph as a photograph of part of the city of Bristol, see the New York Times, Oct.20, 1889. That this photograph was somebody's hoax seems to be acceptable. But it was not similar to the frequently reported scene in the sky of Alaska, according to descriptions. In the New York Times, Oct.31, 1889, is an account, by Mr.L.B.French, of Chicago, of the spectral representation, as he saw it, near Mt.Fairweather. 'We could plainly see houses, well-defined streets, and trees. Here and there rose tall spires over huge buildings, which appeared to be ancient mosques or cathedrals...It did not look like a modern city--- more like an ancient European City.'" In the Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, there is a report "that every year, between June 21 and July 10, a 'phantom city' appears in the sky over a glacier in Alaska; that features of it had been recognized as buildings in the city of Bristol, England, so that the 'mirage' was supposed to be a mirage of Bristol. It is said that for generations these repeating representations had been known to the Alaskan Indians, and that, in May 1901, a scientific expedition from San Francisco would investigate. It is said that, except for slight changes, from year to year, the scene was always the same." (Pages 491-493)

Miscellaneous Mirages In The Sky

"In The Bull.Soc.Astro.de France, 21-180, is an account of a spectacle that, according to 20 witnesses, was seen for two hours in the sky of Vienne dans le Dauphine, May 3, 1848. A city ---and an army, in the sky. ...Also vast lions were seen in the sky. ...Four months later, according to the London Times, Sept.13, 1848, a still more discouraging---or perhaps stimulating---spectacle was , or was not, seen in Scotland. Afternoon of Sept.9, 1848---Quigley's Point, Lough Foyle, Scotland ---the sky turned dark. It seemed to open. The opening looked reddish, and in the reddish area appeared a regiments of soldiers. Then came appearance that looked like war vessels under full sail, then ' a man and a woman and a swan and a peahen.' The 'opening' closed, and that was the last of this shocking or ridiculous mixture that nobody but myself would record as being worth thinking about." (pages 421-422)

Serial Mirages Of Sweden

"The first definite account of the mirages of Sweden, findable by me, is published in Nature, June 19, 1882, where it is said that preceding instances had attracted attention ---that in May, 1882, over Lake Orsa, Sweden, representations of steamships had been seen, and then 'islands covered with vegetation.' Night of May 19, 1883--- beams of light at Lake Ludyika, Sweden ---they looked like a representation of a lake in moonshine, with shores covered with trees, showing faint outlines of farms. Oct.16, 1884---Lindsberg--- a large town, with four-storied houses, a castle and a lake. May 22, 1885---near Oxelosund--- two wooded islands, a construction upon one of them, and two warships. It is said that at the time two Swedish warships were at sea, but were at considerable distance north of Oxelosund. Sept.12, 1885 ---Valla --- a representation that is said to have been a 'remarkable mirage' but is described as if the appearance were cloud-forms ---several monitors, one changing into a whale, and the other into a crocodile ---then forests---dancers--- a wooded island with buildings and a park. Sept.29, 1885 ---again at Valla ---between 8 and 9 o'clock, P.M.; a lurid glare upon the northwestern horizon; a cloud bank ---animals, groups of dancers, a forest, and then a park with paths. July 15, 1888 ---Hudikwall ---a tempestuous sea, and a vessel upon it; a small boat leaving the vessel. Upon Oct.8, 1888, at Merexull, on the Baltic, but in Russia, was seen a mirage of a city that lasted an hour. It is said that some buildings were recognized, and that the representation was identified as St.Petersburg, which is about 200 miles from the Baltic." (Pages 444-445)

Phantom Figures

"In a pamphlet entitled 'Wonderful Phenomena' by Curtis Eli, is the report of an occurrence, or of an alleged occurrence, that was investigated by Mr.Addison A.Sawin, a spiritualist. He interpreted in the only way that I know of, and that is the psychochemic process of combining new data with preconceptions with which they seem to have an affinity. It is said that, at Warwick,C.W., Oct.3, 1843, somebody named Charles Cooper heard a rumbling sound in the sky, and saw a cloud, under which there were three human forms 'perfectly white,' sailing though the air above him, not higher than the tree-tops. It is said that the beings were angels. They were male angels. That is orthodox. The angels wafted through the air, but without motions of their own, and an interesting observation is that they seemed to have belts around their bodies---as if they had been let down from a vessel above, though this poor notion is not suggested in the pamphlet. They 'moaned'. Cooper called to some men who were laboring in another field, and they saw the cloud, but did not see the forms of living beings under it. It is said that a boy had seen the living beings in the air, 'side by side, making a loud and mournful noise.' Another person, who lived six miles away is quoted: 'he saw the clouds and the persons and heard the sound.' Mr.Sawin quotes others, who had seen 'a remarkable cloud,' and had heard the sounds, but had not seen the angels. ...Some day I shall publish data that lead me to suspect that many appearances upon this earth that were once upon a time interpreted by theologians and demonologists, but are now supposed to be the subject matter of psychic research, were beings and objects that visited this earth...from outer space." (Page 419)
     "It is said, in the Scientific American, that, according to the Warrentown (Va.) Solid South, a number of persons had seen white-robed figures in the sky, at night. The story in the Richmond Dispatch is that many persons had seen, or had thought they had seen, an alarming sight in the sky, at night: a vast number of armed, uniformed soldiers drilling. Then a dispatch from Wilmington, Delaware--- platoons of angels marching and countermarching in the sky, their white robes and helmets gleaming. Similar accounts came from Laurel and Talbot. Several persons said that they had seen, in the sky, the figure of President Garfield, who had died not long before. Our general acceptance is that all reports upon such phenomena are colored in terms of appearances and subjects uppermost in minds." (Page 458)
     "That, about the first of August, 1888, near Warasdin, Hungary, several divisions of infantry, led by a chief, who waved a flaming sword, had been seen in the sky, three consecutive days, marching several hours a day. The writer in L'Astronomie says that in vain does one try to explain that this appearance was a mirage of terrestrial soldiers marching at a distance from Warasdin, because widespread publicity and investigation had disclosed no such soldiers. Even if there had been terrestrial soldiers near Warasdin, repeating mirages localized would call for explanation." (Page 458)