2
October 1952
(Chronicle, Adelaide, Australia)
Source: Trove, National Library of
Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
The whole article:
“Nearly
100 people now claim to have seen the strange sky object over SA on Saturday
night (27 September 1952).
The
first published report was from three young men who claimed to have seen a strange,
oval-shaped object shoot across the sky about 8.50 p.m. The object, which glowed
a pale red, travelled south, then banked and veered east, disappearing over the
Flinders Ranges.
Then
reports, which were all similar, were received from Milang, Port Wakefield,
Port Pirie, Melrose, Quorn, Sherlock, Whyalla, Kadina, Port Gawler and Adelaide
suburbs.
A
CMF transport driver who was on a week-end bivouac at Port Wakefleld, said he was
sitting in a truck with 12 other men shortly before 9 p.m when one of them exclaimed,
‘Did you ever see anything like that?’
The
driver described the object as cigar-shaped, with a curve in it, surrounded by lights.
‘It
crossed the camp at about 3,000
ft ., and seemed to accelerate as it passed into the
distance at great speed.’
The
Melrose report said a number of men standing outside the institute saw what looked
like a ‘flying saucer’ travelling low on the horizon and maintaining horizontal
flight.
A
Quorn family reported seeing a strange light in the sky about 8.50 p.m. while
returning from Wilmington by car.
One
ot the party said the car was stopped to get a better look at the light.
It
was very bright and was moving in a north-easterly direction parallel with the ground.
It
appeared to disintegrate and disappear.
The
Government Astronomer (Mr. G. F. Dodwell) said he had had a steady flow of
reports all day and they were extremely helpful.
He
would like further reports, however, from more easterly areas such as Murray
bridge and the Mannum district.
This
would help to gauge height and speed.
The
Professor of Physics at the University of Adelaide (Professor L. G. H. Huxley)
said it was fairly obvious from the simultaneous times given in the various
observations that the object was very large and very high.
There
were terrific winds at such heights and the luminous trail of a meteor could be
driven at immense speed, even after the meteor had burnt out.”
(wikimedia.org
image)
