Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-04-13
SAW SOMETHING.
People Attracted by . Light in
the Heavens.
THINK IT MYSTERIOUS AIR snip

0eeexeA Manager BfoWD, watch % fo3
40 nisates.
People who were down town laAs
evening coDgregated along Second
avenue and gazrd for halt an hour 1T Q
strange light in the northwest which
many we're convinced was the mys-
terious air ship. The object, which
appeared to be much nearer the
earth than any Of the planets. and
the light. because of its close prox-
unity WAS more like An are electric
globe, seemed to sway gently the
moro intently it was obSer sed, and
eventually it disappeared - mys-
,eriously as it came. Swift, fleeing
clouds we're moving across the sky
1T the time, after the lull in the
storm, and were massing for the SUBJ
sequent attack Of thunder, lightning
and rain. There we're people skep.
teal enough to declare that the I'M.
natural light was simply one Of the
larger planets-some said Venus
and others Jupiter-and that the
gathering clouds gave it . more
piercing appearance and more than
that contributed to the idea that
the heavenly body was moving
instead OF the clouds, the illusion be-
ing the consequence Of fixed stare up
on the object. The same deceptive ef-
feet is produced in gazing at the
moon over whose facs clouds are
moving. or of standing on boat that
is pushing from the shore and i'm
agining that the bank is retreating,
or of sitting in . car close to NOV
ing train on another track and feel
ing that the one containing the occu.
pant is going, toe; whereas 1t may
be stationary all the time. But this
is only one theory in explanation Of
the aerial visitor of last night. There
are others, and many Of them, who
are positive that they saw the out.
lines Of the ship and perceived more
than one light and that the illumi.
mating forces were not all one color.
Passengers coming in on both the
Milwaukee and Burlington roads had
observed the strange object for some
miles. Charles McHugh, who 70
turned from Delavan on the c., n
& st. P, said his attention wal
called to it at Fulton, and that there
and at Clinton the people were
greatly excited. All the way dowr
to Rock Island the light was watched
with extreme interest. On the Bur
lington the passengers first observed
it at Sterling. Among them Wal
General Manager w. c. Brown. Mr.
Brown ia a reticent. conservative
man. Eyes, we saw N unusua
light in the northwest" he said
land looked at it fully 40 minutes In
travelling down this way, bu,
whether it was . planet or something
else / an not enough of IN astrono
msr to explain. l do not think
ever saw it before; at least it did
not impress me before. II it had {
tail it might be considered . truan,
comet. and yet the absence of thu
tail might be explained in the fac
that the body 10 coming directly
toward the earth. have formed M
convictions as yet as to the existeuos
Of an air ship"
| Tho Scientific View.
So far scientists throughout thu
country have added no light to thai
which has of late Illuminated tn,
armament and caused SO much
amazement and concern. An ARGU.
representative attempted to:ay
to find tbs local Astronomical
and meteorological authority, Prof.
Richard Mansill. in order to learn il
he had been giving the strange visi.
tor any attention. but the professor
was out of town.
Two young barristers planned q
trick to fool the unsuspecting who
have been considerably worked up
over the air ship. They called a,
An uptown store and asked if they
could look over some balloons-those
kind the boys send up on Fourth OF
July night. But the merchant had
| n0uo Tho l. mara ~nna ~ In