From: jan@cyberzone.net (Jan Aldrich)
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 18:31:59 -0700
Fwd Date: Sun, 01 Jun 1997 00:12:44 -0400
Subject: 1890 Report & 1947 Report, Austin, Texas

The Austin, Texas STATESMAN 8 July 1947, page 1

NOW HE SEES IT NOW HE DOESN'T

'Saucer' Recalls Event 57 Years Ago When Austinite Saw First
'Aircraft'

  John Caldwell of Reed's Music Store saw a flying disc Monday
going north from the University of Texas, but he doesn't
believe it.  It happen that 57 years ago, before airplanes
were invented, he saw a mysterious aircraft going north from
behind Mount Bonnell.

   Although he has a clipping yellow with age from the Austin
Statesman to prove his point of seeing the plane, he said.
Tuesday he thought both instnaces were illusions.

   "Just think about anything long encough, he said, "and you
can see it."

    At the time Caldwell saw the mysterious plane the United
States was in about as much turmoil over their strange appearances
as it is now over ther appearances of flying discs.

    "I think I was just seeing thngs yesterday,"  Caldwell stated,
but if people start thinking hard enough on a thing, its bound to
be invented.  Someone will get the idea about to make whatever is
in the public eye."

    The disc he saw Monday was white, "or near the color of the
moon but not near as big."  It was traveling at a rapid speed, but
Caldwell could not estimate how fast it was.

    "I was lying on my bed at home," he related, "but I wasn't
drunk, because I don't drink, and I wasn't asleep.  I had just
been thinking about things too long like I did about the airplane
when I was a boy."

    The clipping from The Austin Statesman that Caldwell has
pasted to the back of a small leatherbound ledger reads in part:

    "The airship made its appearance again early yesterday
morning.  At least three yound men who were camping up on
Bull Creek at Huddle's Point, say they saw it....About 3 o'clock
yesterday morning it began to rain and the young men were
compelled to get up and fasten their tent.  It was at this
time they saw the mysterious aircraft....At intervals of
every few seconds it would throw its searchlights, and the
boys saw the light looked as big as four orindary lights.
It made its appearance from behind Mount Bonnell and traveled
north.  The boys broke camp last afternoon.  They say because
it was raining so hard, but the mysterious light made the
rain seem wetter."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The 19th century report sounds very much like a 1896-7 airship
story.  A quick check of Neeley's THE AIRSHIP CHRONICLE failed
to turn up a similar report.  Neeley did have reports from the
Austin STATESMAN.  Perhaps it is indeed a 1890 report.

Best regards,

Jan Aldrich
Project 1947