THE CRESCENT-NEWS, DEFIANCE OHIO -THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1964

BOYS WITNESS STRANGE OBJECT IN SKY OVER GM WATER TANK

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REPORTS OF Unidentified Flying objects -- or "flying saucers" if you prefer -- continue to be made by Prof. Charles A. Maney, Defiance, co-author of a book of UFO and a member of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, Washington, D.C.

The latest report was passed by him Wednesday after two young boys had told a friend, Robert Crossland, of witnessing a strange object tuesday evening.

The boys are John Dodson, 15,* and Frankie John Jiminez, 14,* Defiance Junior High School pupils, who were taken to see Prof. Maney by Mrs. Crossland.

The boys related that they were walking near the railroad tracks south of state route 281 between 5 and 6 p.m. Aug 11 and were approaching the overpass beyond the General Motors foundry. The sky was overcast and relatively dark for that time of day. They related that Frankie suddenly saw a strange object in the sky, above the GM water tank. They said the object appeared to be about one-half the diameter of a full moon.

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IT WAS DOME-LIKE with a flange base and was rotating slowly, it was reported. It was described as having lights arranged horizontally and bright enough to illuminate the area. It moved horizontally at moderate speed and then shot up vertically at greater speed and disappeared, the boys related. They said it gave off a "high-pitched" continuous whirling or hissing sound." They described its color as "whitish."

After Prof. Maney had disclosed reports of other recent sightings he received letters from person relating their experiences.

He showed three letters as ezamples. They were from Mrs. Harry McElhatten,* Stryker [OH]; Mrs. Edward Heck,* Paulding [OH], and Mrs. Jack H. Edmonds,* Wawaka, Ind.

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MRS. McELHATTEN quoted from a letter she had received from a friend in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, who quoted from a Missoula, Mont., paper:

"Some people in Missoula have seen a saucer land on a hilly field behind their house. It was as big as a house, encircled by lights and an occasionally directed beam of light into their home. The oil furnace started up and the ranch animals ran wild and crazy. No one emerged from the ship which was large and shaped like a top."

Her letter stated that the Missoula Flight Service and the Federal Aviation Agency said none of its men had picked up anything on its electronic gear or huge radar unit.

The letter from Idaho also stated that a space ship was reported to have landed several other times in the past three months and that the last time -- three weeks ago -- it was joined by four others.

The Idaho letter writer also was reported to have written that the night before the item appeared in the missoula paper a neighbor in Idaho had sighted the "saucers." Her letter stated that "Last night Ann got up to help Dougie who was having a nightmare. It was stuffy so she stepped out on the patio to get a fresh breath and saw a big top-shaped shining aluminum object about 200 feet altitude right over the river. It was all lit up around the edge." She called her husband and they "saw a second, a third and a fourth. They were flying east, real slow.

MRS HECK wrote Prof. Maney, after reading of a recent sighting, that she believes she saw it on July 17 and notified the night policeman.

Mrs. Heck said it appeared "above a neighbor's house about 40 rods south of us, and it traveled about 500 feet high, and it crossed over us in our yard." She said it traveled north and disappeared.

She said it was about six or seven inches around with a bright light and a beautiful tail of blue color that was about three feet long.

Mrs. Heck lives on U.S. route 127 just south of paulding. She is 65, and her husband is 74.

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MRS. EDMONDS reported that she saw an object on July 31 but "we did not tell anyone except our grandmother and grandfather. We thought no one would believe it."

She reported that her boys, 8 and 10 years old, were in a tent in the yard that night on their farm, 10 miles west of Kendallville [IN]. She said the older boy awoke in the middle of the night and saw what he described as a "big ball of fire like the sun flying very low right over our woods." He then said he knew it wasn't the moon because it was bigger and moving. The boys said the fire "Then came on again and it began to move." The boys said they heard no noise and that they watched it for what seemed "about half an hour."

Mrs. Edmonds said she questioned the boys separately and she felt sure of their stories and that they had not had a dream.

"We have never allowed them to watch those 'Outer Limits' programs and they have not been in the habit of making things up."

* indicates published home addresses have been deleted for privacy reasons.

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