Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-12-09

full view of Brown mountain, and has
occupied it for several weeks every
summer since. He began to make
record OF seeing a light rise over
Brown mountain frequently at night;
indeed, SO frequently, if my under
standing of the reports is correct, that
he saw it every fair night he looked
for it if he took the trouble to make
his observations thorough. The usual
time for the appearance of the light
is within two hours from dark. 1t
has been known to appear more than
once the same night; sometimes twice,
as many as three times occasionally,
and l think, it has been seen four
times in one night. 1t has been seen
rs late as midnight, and if one were
TO sit up and watch all night, it might
he possible for it to appear in the
snall hours of the morning. No thor
ough, careful. scientific observations
have been made of it.
Characteristic of the Light.
The size of the light, as it appears
to different observers, varies; some
report seeing a light as big as the head
OF a hogshead, while others see it the
size of a, full moon, a toy balloon, a
mans double fist. Whether it appears
really larger at one time than at an
other or whether these variations in
size, as reported, may be accounted
for upon the principle involved in the
appearance of the same full moon to
be the size of the head of a barrel to
one person while it appears to be only
the size of a small sauce to another,
of course [ cannot determine. Some
times it shows itself and disappears in
a few seconds: at others it remains
partly stationery, partly moving from
side to side and up and down, as long
as half a hour. It's usual course is to
rise up to a distance above the ridge
and then. whether it remains for
sometime moving from side to side or
not, to descend gradually and to dis
appear against the mountain as a
background. l think instances are re-
rorted of it's descending and disap-
pearing on the farside of the noun
tain. It's appearance has always been
limited between the two ends of the
mountain, a range of six miles.
Sees 1t Twice.
"I spent the nights of September
9Th and 10th at Mr.. Loyen's and saw
the light both nights. + did not ex-
pect to see it. Neither night was es-
pecialIy favorable for observation, the
atmosphere being smoky, though
Brown mountain was clearly outlined.
There were four of us who saw 1t, the
first night, MI. Loven being of the
party. There were three in the party
the second night. l expressed doubt
about seeing the light the first night;
Mr.. Loven had no doubt about it if
the mountain remained visible, and /
may add that l felt much more DOUBT
about it when we started out to begin
our observation on the second night.
We watched an hour and a quarter the
first night before the light appeared,
1t rose above the skyline to the height
OF two pine-tree lengths, and, descend
ing below the skyline four pine-tree
lengths, disappeared; then almost iO-
mediately reappearing, assembled dag
onally to the right but did not reach
the skyline and disappeared. The
other observers noted two reappear-
ances; l vas careless and saw only
ole. 1t appeared to me the size OF a
mans doubled fist; it had the same
appearance to my companions. AS
sending. it created the impression of a
soap-bubble. luminous but emitting no
rays; in viewing it's descend l was fill
ed with the impression of seeing a
mass of molten metal falling. Natur-
ally, it's likeness TO a meteor also came
into my mind, which eve then, how
ever. was quick enough to note that
it was descending too slowly for a
meteor. (In using the word impress
sion" l mean the thoughts that came
to me quick as 1 looked.) In the
second night the light appeared after
a wait of only three-quarters of al
hour after dusk. Besides being
smoky, as on the night before, the
weather., was drizzling rain gent
ly. where we were, although
Brown mountain was clear. The ap-
pearance was almost exactly like that.
OF the first night except that it was
two miles to the right of the first ap-
pearance and there was no %reappear-
ance.
What Is It?
"I was skeptical, but l saw the light.
1 do not know what it is. l may bet
ter say what 1 think it was not. 1t is
not an optical illusion, having been
seer by so many responsible people
living in all parts of the State. 1t can
scarcely be a Wil1-o'-the-Wisp or d
Jack-o'-Lantern, for the soil for six
miles along the length of Brown
mountain could scarcely all of it be of
character productive of such phe-
nCmenay and it appears in all seasons
Of the year. 1t cannot have any con-
nection with blockading from it's very
nature. nor is it reasonable to sup
pose that it is a trick of practical
1t cannot be produced by the
headlight of a railroad engine for the
first, that it seems to be out
of range of any such headlight going
through the mountains; and, second.
that no headlight could throw upon
any screen (mountain side Or sky q
light of the character that I saw Oh