Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-02
Baff|ed By
A Gh0St|y Ball.
That Burns

balls of that suddenly appeared-al
y always in remote graveyards lonely moors
and then vanished. And now. a has just
light isolated gravel road just outside the little
town Of Sliden Louisiana.
Walking down this lonely road one dark night. Futz
SeAaefeF tyeaF-e4 youth swinging past ee4s
Bayou Liberty suddenly he stopped
short for hundred feet down the road tiny
ball of fire 1t about two feet off the ground AS he
watched amazcment the ball grew larger and larger
Then burst great globe of flame and disappeared
The terrified youth lit home. Excitedy. he told
his father Fred Schaefer, all about the strange and
luminous appariton he had just The Older at
first skeptical agreed TO return with the boy.
the approached the spot, another
appeared the identical The elder Schaefer
toward it, but the glowing ball burst and vanished.
schaefer couldn't explain the phenomenon He had
heard old slide talking about mysterious
re-bas that appeared the Bayou Liberty way
back in Civil War days but he had always dismissed such
fantastic.
Convinced now that he and his son had seen
thing, Schaefer the village rounded up the
curious and the entire party headed back for the lonely
road. they disappointed Just they APP
proa he'd the orangeike ball appeared about
feet the and BACKED Before that night
excited residents from all the countryside had
TO the strange apparton and the story othe
fre-balls spread rapidly
The next night people came swarming in 10 Sldell
from far away New Orleans The freball proved
be tolerant entertainer put in appearance, send
ing the skepcs scuddng the and
drink and the closest church prayer
F. H. Zimmerman, credit manager for a large New
Orleans department store the fireba three diff
ferent occasions
1T came from the ground" he said like white burst
Of flame and rolled itself into ball OF fire then
disappeared"
a New Orleans newspaper reporter who made the trip
TO Bayou Liberty described his experiences
ing with others about persons, when the glow
the road and lifted
1t became as large automobile headlight and then
fickered out like candle 1t remained visible for about
two minutes at least"
The schaefers, the sder residents and the New
Orleans visitors all agree that they have the e-bal
but offer explanation. The scientific
minded believe the ghostly sight nothing than
called burning of swamp gases, oil men
however report there such that There
doubt that the glowing ball has its explanation If
all the facts known
story in that part Of Louisiana ap-
peared so years agoand with the recent interest the
strange phenomenon Mrs. David Barry 90 former
resident of Bayou Liberty, who is living in New
Orleans told newspapermen how, when she girl such
half Of their The old fire-bal legend the
Civil War days had its setting the gravel road.
The firc-ball legends many different Of tho
world lead to wonder whether they all from The
same natural phenomenon. Scientists explain many Of
these apparitons nothing than unusual kinds Of
lightning o electricity in the
long time before the savants gave any
the reports who described what they
"St Elmos fires their voyages Pickering balls Of
the tips of yardarms, other projecting parts
of the ship AS static electricity discovered
the reports sailors undoubtedly
correct, and that frebals had formed during storm
sea when the air otherwise highly charged
It is entirely possible that ball-ghning. swamp gas
firebas and other phenomenon explain of the
well. The famous Miracle OF Tours which
a ball said to have down from the skies 10
the head of Saint Martin scarcely have been
anything else This probably explains the ancient
shining halos around the heads of sanity individuals
Lightning firebals actually have been photographed
by Professor c. Jensen Of the Department Physics OF
Nebraska Wesleyan University One theory, formulated
by Professor w. M. Thornton Of Armstrong College I'm
England that such phenomena composed ozone
peculiar state Of high identification Still another
based experiments at the University of Leeds England
is that they produced in unknown way Of
highly electrified dust