The record-union., 1896-11-23
OVER OAKLAND.
The Strange Visitor Seen There on
Saturday Evening.

Yesterdays San Francisco Cali has
the following account Of the airship
having been seen over Oakland on Sat
uTday evening:
Last night a little after o'clock, as
a crowded car was going out toward
Piedmont, the attention of the passen-
gers was attracted to peculiar looking
contrivance high up in the sky. The
most peculiar feature of 1t was pow
erful headlight and another light which
seemed to be in the bottom of the ma
chine and to shine directly on the earth.
It came into view from the direction
of East Oakland, passed over Piedmont
and according to the story OF the pass
engers seemed to descend In such
manner as to indicate that 1t would
land somewhere in San Francisco.
Many Of the passengers took up their
morning newspapers to-day expecting
to see full description of the peculiar
object that had been seen so plainly,
and were surprised and disappointed
to find no report whatever In 1t.
They were so convinced that 1t must
have landed across the bay that some
of them telephoned to San Francisco
last night and made inquiries regard
ing it. AS nothing was known of 1t
1t is presumed that 1t must have
changed its course and landed some
where else, for nothing can persuade
those who saw 1t that it was not
genuine airship under full control.
All those who saw this strange OBJ
ject agree in it's description and declare
that it closely resembles the illustra-
ton that appeared in the Cali last
Thursday of the airship that scores of
people witnessed as 1t passed over Sac
ramento last Wednesday night Some
OF them distinctly saw the propelling
arms and declare that they were in
motion, but all are positive that the
machine was brilliantly lighted, and
that the lower light shed large arc
on the earth as 1t passed over, while
the headlight could be seen for great
distance ahead of the machine.
One of the most mystified Observers
Of the airship was Charles H. Ellis, the
armorer of Companies A and f. Mr..
Ellis Is a middle-aged man and very
deliberate IN his manner of expression,
and one not likely to be easily de-
ceived He declared this evening that
he was as skeptical as a man could be
when he first read about the Sacra-
mento airship. He also declares that
he had no alternative but to believe
his own eyesight.
II was going home to my dinner
about half-past 5 last night" he said,
"and was IN the neighborhood Of
Twenty-fourth street and New Broad
way, when I saw a strengthening
thing in the sky. 1t was coming from
the eastward and at first I could see
nothing but a bright light When /
frst saw it the two lights appeared to
be one, and I thought it was a brill
iant meteor. It was getting dusk, but
the sky was clouded and just dark
enough to permit any one TO see plain
ly The sky was sufficiently dark to
make background which would rem
der any such object visible.
"As 1t came nearer / could see that
there was some dark object along with
the light. When 1t was nearly over
head I could clearly distinguish that
It somewhat resembled a balloon trav-
cling end on, with a bright light ahead,
another beneath It, and with what ap-
peared to be wings both before and be-
hind the light. 1t was at great hight
above the earth, probably thousand
feet, but not SO high as to make it
impossible to distinguish what it was.
I did not want to believe that it was
an airship, as / had regarded the pre-
vious report of one In the light of a
joke. This time, however. / had no
alternative. l had to believe what
saw.
las soon as 1t passed over st.
Mary's College it appeared to descend
gradually, but regularly, as though un-
der perfect control, and it disappeared
In the direction of San Francisco. OF
course Ii was too dark and the machine
was too far away TO distinguish any
thing like people or to hear any sounds
such as were heard in Sacramento. But
there is no doubt In my mind that it
was an airship supplied with electric
lights and well-manned."
Another witness to the visit of the
airship is Selby Yost, motorman Of
the Piedmont road and member of
the Oakland Guard. He was little
behind time and was taking his car
toward Piedmont, trying to recover the
few minutes he was behind. AS he
passed Thirtieth street a little boy
stood In the road and cried: "Jee. whiz,
what's that?" The passengers heard it
and Immediately looked at the direction
in the sky toward which the boy was
pointing. They had no difficulty in
seeing the airship.
When I looked ahead" said Mr..
Yost to-day, "I was mystifed and
may as we'll confess I was. / didn't
like to admit to myself that l had sud
denly gone crazy. but really for mo-