65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_006

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'hese "lights" were one of many sets of "saucers" made by Dr. Menzel in his laboratory. Note the "mother ship."
But by no means all of the objects can be
so dismissed. Aft,•r we have eliminated the
false saucers and the erroneous reports that
we trace to misidentification, there do remain
a number that we cannot completely write off.
Such as the ones I saw myself.
The first question we are called upon to
answer is this: If these objects arc natural
objects, why did they suddenly appear for the
first time in 1947? An honest question and a
basic one; for if it cannot be answered, we are
in difficulties. But the answer is simple: They
were seen in the skies long before 1947. Scien­
tific literature is full of them.
En,?land Had Durham T,ightA
Take, for example, the Lubbock Lights,
which appeared in the sky near Lubbock,
Texas, last summer and were photographed.
Similar phenomena have been long reported.
England was mildly excited over the Durham
Lights almost a century ago.
In 1897, our papers were filled with stories
about a mysterious cigar-shaped airship seen
at odd places over the country. The lights and
men aboard were clearly visible. Finally, the
great inventor Thomas A. Edison himself dis­
posed of the rumor.
Herc is a quotation from the magazine
Nature for May 25, 1893: "During a recent
wintry cruise in H.M.S. Caroline, a curious
phenomenon was seen.... Unusual lights were
reported by the officer of the watch. They ap­
peared sometimes as a mass, at others spread
out in an irregular line. They bore north until
I lost sight of them about midnight.... The
globes of fire altered in their formation ... now
in a massed group with an outlying light, then
the isolated one would disappear and the others
would take the form of a crescent of diamonds."
The account also mentioned a "looming
mirage," of which I shall have more to say
later. This report interests me for two reasons:
First, it would almost serve as a description of
thr Lubbock Lights Second, my own theory
of the Lubbock Lights was developed, and
tested in my laii'oratory, before I found this
account in N~tre-and my theory directly as­
sociates loo
ng mirages with the lights.
The nc t question is quite natural: Even
granting th'~t these phenomena have a long
history, why. are they so much more frequent
today than ifl the past?
List the places where flying saucers have
been seen, and you will notice that the great
majority were reported in very hot areas, over
deserts-in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Fo· years, these states were sparsely settled.
DuL :iince the war bega11, Lhcy arc the
arc-:.1s in which the most startling population
growth has been tallied. Irrigation has brought
!aimers in. The dry heat has made tourist
havens of Phoenix and Tucson. The air age has
made these flat, clear-skied areas the natural
locations for great bomber and fighter bases.
Finally, atomic energy has chosen New Mexico
as its headquarters.
In brief, there are more eyes to scan the
heavens. Hence, more is seen. The answer is
as simple as that.The clear skies are themselves
a partial answer. Beyond two or three miles,
especially toward the horizon, the milky haze
cuts down visibility in Eastern areas. In the
West, one is accustomed to seeing a mountain
peak more than 150 miles away.
Finally, the most important question of
all: If the saucers aren't superhuman or con­
trolled by superhumans, what are they?
First, we must study the reports.
A careful analysis of all the available data
indicates that-after we have subtracted the
balloons, papers, distant planes, Venus and the
like-a substantial amount of reliable but un­
explained material still remains. This falls
into several definite patterns: ovals, disks or
other patterns, either shining silver by day or
CONTINUED
Photographed by Arthur Roth,tein
Dr. Menzel begins setting up his apparatus,
using a large glass ja1·, benzene and acetone.
Acetone floating on benzene simulates air
levels; lens effect distorts Dr. Menzel's face.
A rlass rod seems to bend as it passes from
one liquid to other. Light bends in this way.
A light shining through the liquids bends at
the meeting point. Same is true in air layers.