Correspondence Relating to Project Blue Book, 1955

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The Evening News

(Combining the Union County Journal)

22

MARYSVILLE, OHIO —

Vol. 8, No. 42.

'Saucer' Experts Stumped

Jerome Teachers, Students Watch Strange Occurrence In The Sky

Local "flying saucer" scoffers were stumped today by the remarkable Friday afternoon experience of two Union county teachers and at least 60 youngsters.

Their observation: A cigar-shaped silver object traveling at terrific speed that wafted a blanket of "angel's hair" for a least three miles.

The account of the incredible phenomenon was told the Journal-Tribune by Mrs. George Dittmar of Marysville and Rodney Warrick of Rayland.

Mrs. Dittmar is a teacher and Warrick the principal at Jerome Special school in the southeastern corner of Union county.

Story told by the two reliable teachers—without their previous knowledge—closely parallels the previous experiences of people in at least three countries.

The Friday phenomenon was first observed at the Jerome elementary school when youngsters on the playground about 3:15 p. m. called Warrick outside.

Warrick, ill at home today—with a cold and presumably no after effects of his experience—said when he first went outside the cigar-shaped object was hanging motionless.

"Then it took off quite rapidly," he said, "disappearing in a short time." He said it traveled horizontally.

Mrs. Dittmar, in the building when Warrick called her, said she went to the fire escape but the object (said by the children to be "blinding") had already disappeared.

have been made in California, in France and in New Guinea in the past two years.

However, neither teacher had heard of the previous accounts of what has been dubbed as "angel's hair."

The term is the title of an article on such phenomena in the November issue of "Pageant" magazine.

Written by Lt. Col. James C. McNamara, the article gives accounts of several witnesses to the fall of the substance termed "angel's hair" because of its resemblance

to the spun glass fluff used in decorating Christmas trees.

McNamara also reports that some of the substance has been captured on cloth and placed in a jar for observance.

Similar experiences to that of the Union county group, according to the article, have been reported as follows:

In February of this year at Puente, Calif.; Nov. 1953 in San Fernando valley, Calif.; Oct. 1952 at Gaillac, France; August 1953 at Port Moresby, New Guinea.

Each account tells of the webby

vapor likened sometimes to "bright whitish filaments like glass wool" lacy ribbons," or "a stream of white lacy substance."

And in each case, the substance disintegrated with the touch of human hands leaving no trace for laboratory analysis.

There's been no decision on its origin—outer space, foreign craft, or governmental experiment?

Locally it will remain a matter of conjecture and a never-to-be forgotten experience for Mrs. Dittmar, Warrick and their students.

In its wake was a trail of webs that Warrick and Mrs. Dittmar, driving home later, said were strung from one side to the other of wires along the road all the way to the Columbus road.

Warrick said part of the cobweb-like substance fell in long strands and part of it came down in balls, almost like cotton. Trees, bushes and wires were covered.

Warrick said: "It looked to be like asbestos and felt like asbestos."

Both Warrick and Mrs. Dittmar related that when they were able to catch two ends of a strand the stuff could be pulled out into a long thread—"so tough", Warrick said, "that it couldn't hardly be broken".

Within less than a minute after being touched, however, the substance would completely disappear.

Both teachers also concurred in the report that when only one end of a strand was touched, the substance would roll into a ball before disintegrating.

Possibly the strangest part of the report is that when anyone even touched the substance their fingertips would turn green.

Mrs. Dittmar said she was able to rinse the green from her hands without even using soap. Warrick, as an experiment, didn't wash his hands. He said that they broke out into a cold sweat but that the green color disappeared in a half hour or 45 minutes.

Warrick said today: "I have never seen anything like it or heard of anything like it. It was the most unusual sight I ever saw."

He added that no one was frightened. The children—all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders—considered it "quite a lark" he said.

Experience of the two teachers and the children is strengthened by the fact that similar reports

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