SPACE - No 24 - 1958 12

Magazine Overview

Title: SPACE
Issue: No. 24
Date: December 1958
Publisher: Norbert F. Gariety
Location: Coral Gables, Florida, USA
Theme: Saucer Phenomena and Celestial Enigma

Key Articles and Reports

Sky Quakes, Monsters, and Strange Falls from the Skies Accompany 1958 Saucer Flap

This section details several unusual events that occurred in late 1958.

#### Ghost Blasts Jolts Even Experts (Miami)

A mysterious explosion rocked Dade County, Florida, on Thursday night, November 13, 1958. The concussion was heard up to 45 miles away, causing houses to shake, plaster to crack, and dishes to rattle. Hundreds of people reported hearing two blasts about two minutes apart, around 6:25 and 6:27 p.m. Miami International Airport's Control Tower confirmed no jets were in the area, and military bases also reported nothing unusual in the air. Police found no debris or holes in the ground. Blake Norris, an airport tower supervisor, doubted it was a sonic boom due to the shock wave's intensity. The Miami Herald reported the event with the headline "BIG BOOM STILL BAFFLES, CITY and COUNTY." Following this, Ralph Texcel of Miami received a call from a workman named Healy, who was on the schooner 'Northern Light' in the Miami River. Healy and another workman witnessed a bright white light directly overhead at 11:30 p.m. on Thursday night. The light remained stationary for a few seconds before moving west and then curving northwest at "JET SPEED." They believed it was not an aircraft. The article posits a connection between these unexplained skyquakes and UFO activity.

#### Severe Blast Rocks Los Angeles

On the same day as the Miami quake, November 13, a severe blast rocked Los Angeles at 12:42 p.m. (4:42 p.m. Miami time), a time differential of only one hour and 45 minutes from the Miami event. The Los Angeles Examiner reported the blast as "one of the worst in recent months," felt from Highland Park to Hollywood and beyond. Workers at Van Nuys City Hall reported the shock wave lasted two to three seconds. Joseph J. Smith reported being thrown out of bed, and R. O. Hunter noted a 10-foot crack in his ceiling. Dishes and bric-a-brac tumbled from shelves. The report was credited to Mrs. Lela B. Johnson of Torrance, California.

#### Driver Tells of Thing That Clawed at His Car (Riverside)

On November 9, 1958, Charlie Wetzel of Bloomington, California, reported a frightening encounter while driving near Riverside. He described a "monster" with a round, scarecrow-like head, long arms, and shining, fluorescent eyes, which clawed at his car windshield. Wetzel, terrified, reached for a .22 pistol and accelerated, causing the creature to fall back and emit a gurgling noise. He believed he hit it. Sheriff's officers found thin, sweeping marks on his windshield but no other evidence. Sheriff's Sgt. E. R. Holmes speculated it might have been a large vulture, but found no feathers during a search. This account was also credited to Mrs. Lela B. Johnson.

#### Odd Black "Dew" Hits Chicago Homes

Residents of a South Side Chicago area reported an airborne assault on November 16, 1958, where an unidentified substance fell from the skies, creating havoc and discoloring houses, garages, and fences in a 10-block area. This was noted as not the first such incident in the neighborhood, with several residents recalling similar events over the past years, though this was considered the most severe.

#### Strange Falls from the Skies (Digon, Burgundy & East London, South Africa)

Two reports of strange falls are included: Thousands of tiny live frogs mixed with hail stones fell in the Jura mountain village of St. Julian-sur-Suran on August 8, 1958. Near East London, South Africa, a sudden swirl of water revealed a monster from the deep, described as a huge brown creature with a lion-like head, which then vanished.

#### Tall Story--Of the Hairy Man (Central Borneo)

Fishermen at Lake Hulu in Central Borneo reported seeing a man over 20 feet tall, bearded and covered with hair, carrying dead monkeys and appearing to hunt for others. The fishermen abandoned their boats and fled.

#### What Was That Bang? (North London & London)

An explosion shook houses and rattled windows in North London on August 29, 1958, with police investigating but finding no clues. A similar "Big Bang" occurred in London on September 5, 1958, heard from Hampstead to Putney. Authorities from the Civil Aviation Ministry, Air Ministry, and the U.S. Air Force could not provide an explanation, with some suggesting it might have been a plane breaking the sound barrier.

Space Exploration and Theories

#### Space Travelers and Animal Testing

The editor, Norbert F. Gariety, restates his theory that Space Travelers might be using lower animals for testing purposes, a concept he formulated before human scientists began using animals in space programs. He suggests such bipeds could assist in exploring planets with different environments, being dropped off and later retrieved to check their reactions and survival abilities.

#### Fields of Lava Believed Sighted on Mars

Researchers using the world's third largest telescope believe they have spotted lava fields on Mars. Alan Lenham noted dark areas that appear gray rather than green, suggesting they are lava fields, not vegetation. Dr. Gerard Kuiper of McDonald Observatory reported similar findings in previous years. The lack of seasonal variations in these dark spots suggests no vegetation is present. The southern polar snowcap seen two years prior had disappeared due to mid-summer heat, and brilliant white clouds were observed during Martian sunrises.

#### Radiation Belts and Future Space Travel

Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency estimated that the first spaceman must cruise within 600 miles of Earth or more than 2,000 miles up to escape deadly cosmic radiation. Above 600 miles, radiation is up to 10,000 times greater. Preliminary information from the Air Force moon rocket shot indicated radiation might increase up to 5,000-6,000 miles and diminish around 10,000 miles. Dr. James A. Van Allen warned that without a way to "go around it," space travel beyond the fatal radiation zone would be impossible. However, an eminent scientist predicted that men would be traveling through space by 1998 at almost the speed of light, with nuclear-powered spaceships to planets of the solar system also anticipated within 10 to 20 years.

UFO Contact Claims and Sightings

#### Reinhold Schmidt Claims More Contacts

Reinhold Schmidt, a California grain buyer, claims to have had five contacts with spacecraft and their crews. He states that from August 14-18, 1958, he was on board a spaceship, and his Buick car was taken for a ride over the Arctic. The ship allegedly submerged under the Arctic Ocean and provided food described as "sore small wafers" and coffee heated by "free energy." The crew spoke high German amongst themselves but spoke English to Schmidt. He described the ships as being made of metal, possibly aluminum, with a hull about a foot thick and sliding doors. The interior was transparent, allowing a view of the surroundings, and the ship always flew sideways for better observation. Schmidt also noted that the paintwork on his car became luminous after its return.

#### Once a Skeptic, Now He's Seen Flying Object (Wheaton, Illinois)

G. R. Grinnell of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, reported seeing a "Moon-Saucer" hovering in the clouds on Sunday evening. He called his wife, who had been skeptical, to witness the object. The saucer was described as about three-fourths the size of the moon, giving off a brilliant light. It appeared to hover, rising and falling slightly, before clouds obscured it. Grinnell confirmed it was not the moon, as the moon-setting time was later.

#### Boy Snapped UFO (Morioka City, Japan)

Tsutomu Kikuchi, a 17-year-old from Morioka City, Japan, photographed a mystery round object on May 17, 1958. While observing Jupiter, he spotted the object flying across the sky at about 8:55 p.m. It moved SSE to NNW, then turned back at low speed. The object was described as approximately 5 cm in diameter and orange in color. His family and two passersby also saw it. The observation lasted 10 minutes. The photograph was taken with a Pigeon 35 camera using a 10-second exposure.

#### Fairy in the Corridor (Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK)

Staff at St. Agnes Home for Children reported sightings of a "White Lady," described as a fairy-like figure dressed in a long white robe and veil, who visits the older part of the house. While the children see her as a fairy, the staff consider her a ghost. She is usually seen around 2:00 a.m. and described as looking like a cloud at night.

Other Reports

#### Missionary Says Abominable Snowmen Are Tibet Priests Living in Icy Nude

A German missionary, Rev. Franz Eichinger, reported after 13 years in Tibet that the "abominable snowmen" are actually native priests living nude in the Himalayas. He claimed to have photographed one of these priests, described as a primitive human immune to the influences of nature and the needs of human life.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently reports on unexplained phenomena, UFO sightings, and alleged alien encounters, presenting these accounts with a tone that suggests a belief in their reality, even when official sources deny them. The editor, Norbert F. Gariety, frequently interjects his own opinions and interpretations, often criticizing government secrecy and the skepticism of established institutions. There is a strong emphasis on the idea that UFOs are real and that humanity is on the verge of significant discoveries in space exploration. The publication also seems to encourage reader submissions of news clippings and reports, fostering a community of interest in these subjects. The editorial stance is one of open-mindedness towards the extraordinary and a critical view of official explanations that dismiss such phenomena.