The Imperial press., 1905-08-05
AERIAL NAVIGATION IN
 IMPERIAL VALLEY Gigantic Airship Seen Passing Over Oar Valley by Number of
 WeIi-KnOwn Citizens


 living in the SiIsbee neighb0rhood was driving herd of fat hogs from his ranch to Imperial, and was one of the first men, so far heard from, who saw the aerial visitor. In order to take advan- tage of the cool morning for the com fort of his hogs. Mir. Jackson left home with them about midnight. About half past 1 o'clock when near tbe Wilse place on the Main canal, four miles southwest from town, Mir. Jackson's s attention was suddenly attracted by a very bright light being flashed on and around him, lighting up the midnight darkness with dazzling splendor.
 For an instant he was welInight blinded by it's brightness, and the hogs gave a few "booh booh!" and hoited for the tall weeds. In another instant the light was gone and Mr. Jakson, on looking up saw that it was nothing less than the searchlight of an airship that had been thrown on him.
 The machine. which seemed to be at least a hundred feet long. and pro- peIled by immense wings, was almost directly over him, and about 300 or 100 feet above tie ground. 1t carried so much light and was going so fast that it was hard to determine positively how it was built, but Mir. Jackson could dis tinctly near the whrr of the machinery with which it was driven and is positive there was no balloon or gas chamber to hold it up. It moved with an undulat- ing motion, apparently was under abso- Iute control, and was going ill a north easterly direction, and judging from the time it took to get out of sight Mr. Jackson thinks it was flying at rate of at least thirty miles an hour.
 As soon as possible MT. Jackson called up Mir. Wilsie, and he got a good sight of the machine and could witness the operation uf the searchlight with which it was provided. Both MT. Jackson and MT. Wilsie agree that 1t was most
  powerful light, and that the operator was making free use of it, flashing it about in all directions, but principally within radius of a mile or two wide on each side off path through the heavens. The course taken by the alrship ill cross Ing our Valley would cause It to pass d mile or two north of Silsbee and about the same distance south of Imperial.
 The hour at which the trip was made was one at which our people are stirring the least; no one unless 1t be belated irrlgator or a.man engaged as MT. Jack son was, being abroad at that hour. However, as practically all our people sleep out doors at this season of the year, there was doubtless considerable number who were wakened by the searchIight and saw the aerial visitant, One of these was Postmaster Allatt ot Imperial. He states that about half past one Thursday morning he was awakened by a sudden flash of light, which distinctly lighted up the walls of the buildings and the ground around where he was sleeping. His first thought was nre, and he sprang up to investigate. Instantly the light was gone, and after few moments looking about he concluded it was some one passing along the street with lantern had thrown the light on him uninten- tiOnally. Having satisfied himself there was no fire he was about getting into bed again when he noticed what he took to be an immense bright star in the heavens. As Mir. AlIatt hlmself says "You konw a mans mind don't do it's best work when he is startled out of a deep sleep" so he failed to remember the astronomical fact that there is no star of exceeding great briliancy in the eastern heavens at this season of the year at 1: 30 a. m. He therefore turned over and went to sleep and thought no more of it till Mir. Jackson arrived in town at an early hour and told of the sight he had witnessed. Then Mr. AIatt realzied that it was the flash of the searcllight from one of the most wonderful inventions the world ever witnessed, that had reused him from his slumbels, and that what he SUD- posed was a bright star i'll tic eastern derful airship, perhaps the most suc- cessful ever launched, and which, on its flight through the air, made an early morning visit to Imperial Valley.
 The men whom MT. Jackson got to help him gather up his hogs and bring them in to town after their scare by the airship, also distinctly saw the machine and witnessed it's movements. All who saw it agree that it was flying machine and not dirigible balloon.