The article below was published in the newspaper The Eugene Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA, on page 1, on June 27, 1947.
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By ASSOCIATED PRESS
The mystery of the *flying discs" deepened Friday as more Washington and Oregon residents stepped forward to back reports of the eerie saucerlike objects first reported Wednesday by an Idaho flier to have been flying in formation over the Cascade Mountains.
One report, this time of a night flight, was reported by Archie Edes of Wenatche, while driving on the Moses Lake Highway last Friday night with his father and family. Edes said he saw a speeding object "descending in a long slant. It looked like a long, oval blue-white flame
"As we watched, it neared the ground and when it was about 200 feet high it exploded. There was no blinding flash, but there were great showers of sparks and piles of lames seemed to hurtle to the ground," he said.
A "very bright, shiny object" was reported by Mrs. Dennis Howell of Salem, Ore., a week before, according to Mrs. Howard K. Wheeler of Bremerton. She and her husband sighted three of the objects flying west about six o'clock in the evening.
A Yakima woman, Mrs. Ethel Wheelhouse, also reported sighting the "whatzit" Tuesday afternoon. They sped so fast she could not count them, and abruptly disappeared, she said.
PENDLETON, Ore. -- (UP) -- Kenneth Arnold, the flying salesman, isn't taking any more chances on being accused of having spots before his eyes.
Arnold, whose tale of seeing nine "flying saucers" skimming over southern Washington at 1200 miles an hour has caused much skepticism hereabouts, purchased a $150 camera with a telescopic lens. He said he would carry it in his light plane at all times to record graphically from now on any peculiar object he sees flying around when he's on air jaunt.
"I haven't had a moment of peace since I first told the story," the 32-year-old Boise, Ida., businessman - pilot sighed.
He said a preacher called him from Texas and informed him that the strange objects Arnold claims to have seen batting through the ozone actually were harbingers of doomsday.
Arnold said he didn't get the preacher's name during their phone conversation, but the minister said he was getting his flock "ready for the end of the world."
That was unnerving, according to Arnold, but it wasn't half as disconcerting as the episode in a Pendleton cafe.
Arnold said a woman rushed in, took one look at him and then dashed out shrieking, "There's the man who saw the men from Mars." She rushed out of the eating place "sobbing that she would have to do something for the children," Arnold added with a shudder.
Arnold, a representative of a fire control equipment firm, started the country Thursday by reporting he had seen nine shiny round objects skimming through the air in formation between Mt. Rainier, Wash., and Mt. Adams.
Further additions to the report of strange objects in the sky were made by various Lane County residents Friday.
Mrs. L. Stuart, 295 Seventeenth Ave. W., said that neighborhood children ran into her house between noon and 1 p.m. Wednesday of this week to tell of "round, silver things moving real fast" that "looked real high."
She said the sun was bright and clear and that she saw them herself for a few minutes. She did not report them then because she thought they were an advertizing stunt.
Admen also were suspected by W. J. Seaver, who said he saw about 250 silvery objects thrown out of an airplane "four or five days ago" over his farm at the west end of the Springfield bridge.
Seaver said the unidentified thing looked like a flock of geese and that they did not seem to lose altitude. He said they drifted along with the wind, disappearing to the south.
Seaver explained that he was unable to determine size and shape of the objects because they were fluttering in the sunlight. He could not identify the type of plane from which he thought the objects were tossed.
Although a first investigation of enlargements from negatives made by E. H. Sprinkle, 503 Pearl St., failed to disclose anything, further examination revealed seven dots apparently "V" or "X" shaped. They were grouped in what could be military formation.
Sprinkle took the photographs from Skinner0s Butte a week ago Wednesday with a $3.50 camera.
To: Kenneth Arnold or Newspapers 1940-1949.
