Magonia Supplement - No 28 - 2000 06

Magazine Overview

Title: MAGONIA Monthly Supplement
Issue: No. 28
Date: June 2000
Editor: JOHN HARNEY

This issue of Magonia Monthly Supplement focuses on historical aerial phenomena, particularly unusual craft descriptions and 'scareship' panics.

Editorial

The editorial section, written by the editor John Harney, briefly discusses a news report from The Daily Telegraph about a tranquil Italian village allegedly terrorized by thieves using a narcotic spray to drug occupants before ransacking homes. Harney finds the story implausible, comparing it to the 'Mattoon gasser' incident.

Propeller-Powered Saucers by Martin Kottmeyer

This article examines the 1952 William Squyres UFO sighting in Pittsburgh, Kansas, which is presented as a significant 'Close Encounter of the Third Kind' and one of the first cases to be included in Project Blue Book files with sufficient credibility. Squyres described a platter-shaped craft, approximately 70 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 15 feet thick, hovering ten feet above a field. It had a medium blue continuous light inside, several large windows, and a man visible in the front window. The craft exhibited movement in its midsection before ascending vertically at a tremendous rate.

Physical evidence at the scene included a sixty-foot circle of pressed grass, with some loose grass appearing to be drawn in by suction. Witnesses confirmed the matted grass, and samples showed no signs of burning or radioactivity. Air Force investigators found Squyres to be reliable, and local businessmen vouched for his character.

Kottmeyer notes that J. Allen Hynek, in his 'The Hynek UFO Report', puzzled over this case, initially considering it a hallucination but later concluding that Squyres had a 'true, tangible experience'.

The article then delves into the unusual detail of propellers on the craft. Squyres himself speculated it might be a government device. Kottmeyer points out that no craft like this was flying in 1952, referencing the US Air Force's Avrocar, developed later and much smaller, which was unstable. He quotes UFO historian Loren Gross stating that 'Propellers just are not reported on UFOs,' and that such a design would be a 'nightmarish design' from an aeronautical standpoint.

Despite this, the Squyres case is presented as the most impressive example of a UFO with propellers, though not unique. A similar case occurred a month later in Italy with Cario Rossi, who reported a disc-shaped craft with multiple helicopter blades and a cage-like compartment. The article also mentions lesser examples from Loren Bloecher's study of the 1947 Wave, including the Nielson case (saucer with a propeller on the front) and the Lesseson case (disc-shaped object with a propeller on the rear edge), both occurring on the same evening. The presence of propellers in these early reports, predating public knowledge of the Arnold sighting's details, is highlighted as an argument for their reality, despite the oddity.

Kottmeyer contrasts these propeller-driven craft with the more common descriptions of jet and rocket propulsion seen in 1947. He suggests the Nielson-Lesseson coincidence might stem from parallel reasoning or shared premises. Project Blue Book offered no explanation for the Squyres case, and Kottmeyer concurs that it is one of the most unexplainable cases, though he finds the timing 'hinky' and considers it useless as evidence for the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH). He concludes that the case is tied to its era and that such a craft is unlikely to be reported today, serving as a lesson on how standard arguments can lead to weird conclusions when applied without broader frameworks.

Literary Criticism: Reviews by Peter Rogerson

This section reviews two related works on 'scareships' or phantom airship panics:

1. The Scareship Mystery: A Survey of Phantom Airship Scares 1909-1918 by Nigel Watson (Domra Books, 2000, £9.95)
2. 'Scareships over Britain: The Airship Wave of 1909' by David Clarke (in Fortean Studies, Vol. 6, pp. 39-63)

Rogerson notes that at the turn of the 20th century, aviation was seen by some as a force for peace, but popular reaction quickly turned to fear of aerial bombardment. This led to 'scareship panics' where mysterious aircraft and airships were sighted.

The book 'The Scareship Mystery' took almost fifteen years to publish and examines these phantom airship epidemics from 1909 to 1918. Contributors include Nigel Watson, David Clarke, Granville Oldroyd, Mr X, Robert Bartholomew, and Thomas 'Eddie' Bullard. David Clarke's contribution has been updated and expanded.

The book provides a comprehensive portrait of these waves, where strange lights were reported as airships or aircraft with amazing powers. These waves began in 1909 in Britain, New Zealand, and the United States. In Britain and New Zealand, the scareships were interpreted as German or Japanese spy planes, harbingers of war. In the US, the theme was more light-hearted, focusing on the inventions of Wallace Tillinghast.

The airship scares returned in 1912-13 and merged with war panic during World War I. They spread globally, appearing in South Africa and Canada, and eventually reaching the US as the war progressed. The article notes that the original 1947 flying saucer panic was more concerned with fears of Russian technology than Martians, a fear that later transformed into the Martian threat.

The review details the division of labor in Watson's book, with Nigel Watson contributing multiple chapters on various scares across different regions and years. David Clarke covers the 1909 British scare, Granville Oldroyd the 1914 British airship rumors, Mr X the wartime Canadian scares, and Bartholomew and Bullard provide a sociological summary.

Rogerson states that the authors, being ufologists and Forteans, approach the material from that perspective, tracing its use in ufological writing. Early dramatic events, like the alleged landed airship and crew from Mr Lethbridge, were prominent. Carl Grove's earlier work in 'Flying Saucer Review' cataloged airship reports but treated them as isolated anomalies. Grove, a supporter of Aimé Michel, interpreted these reports as part of a process by which 'Magonia' sought to manipulate human history, a concept whose nature (alien technology or alias for God) remained unclear.

Watson and his colleagues, however, favor psychosocial interpretations, focusing on rumor theory and moral/social panics. They highlight the long history of rumors about strange aerial phenomena and note how many themes common in ufology today—vague dream-like encounters, men in black, ambiguous physical evidence, 'falling leaf motion' lights, and bright stars perceived as searchlights on dark objects—originated in these earlier scares.

The review emphasizes that the 'scareship mystery' and the 'enemy in the sky' concept, possessing superior technology, mutated into the modern ETH/UFO legend primarily between 1947 and 1952. It points out that even in 1897, a minority interpreted strange lights as extraterrestrial, with one correspondent formulating an early 'space brothers' theory involving Martians.

Rogerson concludes that these contributions are excellent and meet high standards, suggesting a second edition or a Timewatch TV documentary to reach a wider audience.

Letter

Andy Roberts writes in response to a previous review, criticizing Nigel Watson's review of the Exwick conference and refuting the claim that original UFOIN/NUFOIS files were lost. Roberts states that these files were handed over to Philip Mantle in the late 80s or early 90s and are now available in the MUFORA archive in Manchester.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently explores anomalous aerial phenomena, historical UFO cases, and the evolution of public perception and interpretation of these events. The editorial stance appears critical of sensationalized or implausible reports while acknowledging the enduring mystery and significance of certain unexplained cases, particularly those with credible witnesses and physical evidence. There is a clear interest in the historical roots of modern ufology, linking early 'scareship' phenomena to contemporary UFO beliefs. The publication values rigorous analysis and encourages contributions from readers.