Nessletter - No 031 - 1978

Magazine Overview

Title: Nessletter
Issue: No. 31
Date: December 1970
Publisher: Ness Information Service
Document Type: Magazine Issue

This issue of Nessletter focuses on various unexplained phenomena, including sightings of unidentified creatures in different locations and an analysis of a film purportedly showing a Loch Ness Monster.

Potomac River Sightings

In late September, approximately fifteen people reported witnessing strange creatures in the Potomac River, near its confluence with Chesapeake Bay. The creatures were described as being 25 to 30 feet long, with one witness reporting smaller, 'young ones' about 10 feet long and greyish in color. Donald Kyker and his wife were among the first to report the sighting, describing a creature about 30 feet long with a head and neck as thick as a telegraph pole. They initially mistook it for a sea otter followed by its family, but noted the leader had a distinct head and 'humps'. Mrs. Kyker was certain it was not porpoises, which she had seen before. Another witness, Mary L. Lewis, reported seeing four or five 'serpents' with heads the size of two fists and necks raised three feet above the water. The executive secretary of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, Robert Norris, suggested it might be porpoises, but acknowledged he had never heard of anything similar. He also recalled a whale incident in the James River ten years prior, but stated these reports did not sound like a whale.

Canadian Aquatic Monsters

The Res Bureaux Bulletin, in issues No. 38 and 39, lists 33 different locations in Canada reputed to have aquatic monsters. The publication has also investigated 'Sea Monsters' over the years, documenting over two hundred reports from 1656 to the present. A report from Lake Okanagan, via the Vernon Daily News, describes a sighting by Alice Blais and a friend near Ellison Provincial Park. The creature had humps about four feet high, appeared to be about 35 feet long, and was dark green in color.

Body on Shore

In September, a body was found on the sea shore near Carradle, on the east side of the Campbelltown peninsula in Kintyre. It was seen by two fishermen in a small boat, lying over a rock in an inaccessible position. Dave Pattison, an ex-Ness Information Service member, examined the remains. The body was described as having a five-foot long body, a two-and-a-half-foot neck, and a twelve-foot tail. One flipper, about 18 inches long, was visible. The remains were in a decomposed state and covered in maggots. It was suggested that the last spring tide, three weeks earlier, had brought it ashore. A marine biologist from Oban examined the body and took tissue samples, concluding that the remains were those of a basking shark. A similar incident occurred on the Isle of Skye in 1969, which turned out to be a small whale.

Newts and Loch Ness

Timothy Flyme wrote about his 'Japanese' newts, which are brownish with red bellies and about four inches long. He noted that these newts sometimes float on the surface with their heads and tails drooping, forming a 'hump' similar to reports of the Loch Ness Monster, referencing the 1955 McNab photograph. This reminded the editor of an article by Dr. Andrew Allan on Alpine newts. Dr. Allan described the Alpine newt's skin as velvety or lightly granulated. The editor draws a parallel between this description and Loch Ness Monster reports where skin texture is described as rough or uneven. While acknowledging that newts are cold-blooded and would struggle in Loch Ness's low temperatures, the article highlights that Alpine newts inhabit high altitudes, living in cool, plant-free ponds and springs, and can be found moving beneath ice and swimming in chilly puddles. This suggests that cold-blooded creatures can indeed survive in very cold water, offering a parallel for consideration regarding the Loch Ness mystery.

UFO Sighting

In early December, Mrs. Pat Coleman reported seeing a very bright light in the sky above Inverness while driving on the new Longman stretch of the A9. The light was high in the sky and remained motionless for over an hour before moving off as the sky began to lighten. Two RAF aircraft were seen flying in the same direction. An RAF spokesman stated they had no reports of unusual aircraft and suggested it might have been a helicopter. Another bright light seen hovering over the Ardersier area a few days earlier was confirmed to be a helicopter.

'Smith Film' Analysis

Nessletter No. 23 (August 1977) reported on a super-8 colour film. This film, along with the camera and reports from the photographer and her husband, was submitted to David James MP, who passed it to the Ministry of Defence for study by JARIC (Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre for the RAF). The RAF Photographic Interpretaion Experts' report stated that due to the poor quality imagery, it was not possible to determine if the object was animate. However, they made measurements and assessments. The camera height was estimated at 5 feet (1.52m). The object's distance from the camera was between 515 and 550 feet (157m and 167.6m), with an apparent uniform width of approximately 9 inches (0.2m). The object had a maximum height above the water of 2.5 feet (0.76m). It moved across the line of sight for a distance of less than 2 feet (0.6m) over a filming period of about 10 minutes. Densitometer traces showed the object was roughly rectangular. The object rose and descended vertically through the water three times, appearing at varying heights, with controlled movements suggesting it was heavy and mostly submerged. No shadows, wake, or ripple action were determined near the object.

Loch Ness Filming Circumstances

A separate report details the circumstances of the 'Smith Film' filming on August 22, 1977. The witnesses, P.M. Smith and G.A. Smith, were standing at water level on the South East shore of Loch Ness. At approximately 5:05 p.m., an object emerged vertically from the water. It was described as a thick, periscope-like object with a rectangular head and a long neck, at least a foot thick. To the naked eye, it appeared almost black, but through binoculars, it was a bright brown and appeared leathery. The object stood about a man's height above the surface. It submerged and re-appeared three times, with the full extent of the neck not always caught on film. The object was seen to turn its head, and sunlight reflected brightly from it. The filming was interrupted by their young son. The distance was estimated at 520 feet, with the camera height at approximately 5 feet. A fourth, briefer sighting was not filmed, but witnessed by two other individuals.

Christopher Idle's Loch Ness Experience

Christopher Idle reported an experience on Loch Ness on October 5, 1977, coincident with the 'Smith Film' recording. While on a boat collecting ideas for a biology project, he saw his friend John observing something surfacing and diving. Idle rowed closer and saw a large black 'THING' poke several feet out of the water, near the stern of the boat. He described it as having a neck tapering from about 1'6" wide at the surface to about 9" where it joined the head. The head was sheep-like but larger, with no clear neck-head junction. There were no visible features like eyes or mouth. The entire event lasted about 10 seconds. He could not determine if it was alive, but noted it seemed to move vertically, paused, and then sank with the head dipping forward. The water was rough, and he saw no humps, fins, flappers, or tail, nor any wake or shadow. He concluded it was not a log, otter, deer, or rotting vegetation.

Odds & Ends

This section includes information on a map of Loch Ness (Number 55 of the 'National' map series by Bartholomew, scale 1:100,000). It also mentions silver charms and bolt buckles with Loch Ness and Bigfoot themes, available from Samuels the Jewellers and The Bigfoot Information Centre, respectively. The editor, R.R. Hepple, wishes readers a Happy Christmas and New Year and provides his address for news and views.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the reporting of unexplained sightings of creatures in aquatic environments (Potomac River, Canadian lakes, Loch Ness) and aerial phenomena (UFOs). The editorial stance appears to be one of open-minded inquiry, presenting witness accounts and expert analyses without definitive conclusions. The comparison of newt behavior to Loch Ness Monster reports suggests an interest in finding natural parallels or explanations for some phenomena, while still acknowledging the mysteries. The inclusion of the 'Smith Film' analysis by the Ministry of Defence indicates a serious approach to investigating such reports. The editor actively solicits reader contributions, fostering a community of interest in these subjects.