Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-08-21
BRILLIANT ORBS
LIGHT THE SKY
Strange Lights Seen Last Night
In The Heavens Puzzle
The Populace
VARIOUS THEORIES MADE

A few people in Annapolis and more
in the county near the city witnessed
in the northeastern and eastern sky
last night about $50. o'clock strange
lights that were more or less uncanny.
The lights were of a bluish-white and
seemed 10 be great stars. They ap-
peared TO hover very near to the earth.
They could be distinctly seen at Arun-
del-on-the-Bay, and everybody was
asking everybody else what they could
be. At intervals they would disappear
only to shine again with new brilli-
ance and occasionally fade to mel
low orange and then grow red.
The lights, which were circular. ap-
pearing to be about an eighth the size
of the moon. seemed to be stationary
from Walbrook, Baltimore and sur
rounding territory. where they were
also seen, but from East Baltimore.
Fort Howard and the Bethlehem Steel
Company's plant. where thousands of
workmen watched them, they seemed
to move very slowly
The first appearance of one of the
strange luminaries was noticed at $50
p. NJ. It's disappearance and osten-
sible temperance impressed many
persons that ii was the same light,
while, as matter of fact, there were
several. When the one was first sight
ed it brought visions of Zeppelins and
the long expected air raid, but when
these did not materialize naturally a
scientific explanation was sought.
Application was made by Balti-
moreans first to the weather man
there and then to several star-gazers,
but all remarked calmly that no celes-
tial body was due for a visit at this
time and nothing of any phenomenal
value might be anticipated.
After this disappointment the news
papers were appealed toand received
scores of calls, each one of them pre-
senting a new theory. Then finally a
man called up and said: I'VE have
been blaming everything else on the
war. so why don't we find reason to
trace the lights to the same thing?"
This suggestion was followed out,
and the only possible solution seemed
to be inquiry at Aberdeen, the most
warlike place hereabouts.
II is little advertised, of course, but,
as a matter of fact, Aberdeen folks
are doing many queer things up there
at night The one thing that they
have in their repertoire, which might
have caused the strange sights of last
night, is this:
In making tests with heavy caliber
mortars such things as starbombs are
utilized. These funny little things are
equipped with silk parachutes and
fired into the air. The firing ignites
a preparation in them and the stars"
burn steadily, while the parachute
keeps them somewhat stationary.
Then the large guns are fired and the
course of the shells and speed are
marked by the light of the artificial
star. These stars then float about un-
til they are finally extinguished and
then descend. Their average height
level is about 2,300 feet.
Another similar device is para
chute arrangement which is sent up
by rocket and which is signal for
the artillery from the infantry. These
lights are also vari-colored.
In the absence of scientific explana-
ton, this theory may be accepted, es-
pecially since the boys now at Fort
Howard see them very often floating
their way from the Aberdeen grounds.