The 1954 French flap:

Mysterious craft flew Over the Châlons region

We previously reported that a strange craft had been spotted in recent days over the Châlons region. The growing buzz around flying saucers, whose appearances seem to be multiplying, gave particular significance to this information.

We were able to gather the impressions of one of the witnesses to this unusual object.

"I cannot say," he told us, "whether it was a flying saucer; I only know that it was an object unlike anything I had ever seen before. I was in Châlons; the object was roughly above St-Marcel. It appeared in the shape of an open parachute but without any parachutists. Around it, there were several smaller objects - at a distance, they could have been mistaken for birds - moving around. I noticed that as they moved and caught the sunlight, they reflected a silvery sheen."

"I cannot provide further details; I was about to take my bicycle to get closer but feared making the trip in vain, as everything might have disappeared before I arrived."

We present this account as it was given to us. The only thing we would add is that we trust the witness's sincerity; he is not one to mistake bladders for lanterns.

Moreover, we know that many people observed these phenomena on Sunday morning.

FLYING TOPS IN THE SKY OVER MERCUREY

One of our readers from Mercurey wrote to inform us of the following events, which he personally witnessed in recent days in Mercurey, where he resides.

In broad daylight, under a clear sky, our correspondent reported observing two objects spinning at extremely high speed side by side, like tops, emitting violet, yellow, and red flashes, and seemingly heading toward Le Creusot. These objects appeared to be at an altitude of 300 to 400 meters, slightly domed on top, and had a diameter of approximately 5 to 8 meters. "No rattling noise," our correspondent added, "like that of jet planes and other aircraft that pass daily over Mercurey."

We thank our reader for this fascinating report and note that these mysterious craft are increasingly approaching the skies of Châlons. Perhaps we will soon have the pleasure of seeing them maneuver above our city.

The flying saucers (continued)
do not spare the Châlon region

Chalon-sur-Saône (from our P.C.). -- As one might expect, and one is even astonished to have waited so long, Châlons and its region are adding today a chapter to the novels of saucers and other flying cigars.

It is a resident of Saint-Marcel-les-Chalon who saw, in the sky above this locality, a object "like I have never seen" (sic), surrounded by "smaller objects that looked like birds and had silvery highlights."

A resident of Mercurey is much more categorical and lavish of explanation, who saw "two flying tops lying at an altitude of approximately 300 meters, with a diameter of 5 to 6 meters, the top slightly domed, throwing purple and yellow-red gleams, and seeming to move towards Le Creusot.

Other very fleeting appearances are also reported on the Bresse, homeland of the chicken and the "noa."

... nor the Nièvre

Nevers (from our P.C.). -- A resident of Corbigny (Nièvre) declared to have seen, in broad daylight, while she was hanging laundry in her garden, a luminous cigar-shaped craft, elongated, moving at high speed. It carried two discs in its lower part. Rising vertically, this cigar went out and disappeared.

An employee of a state administration also claimed to have observed, at the place called "Les Chaumes", a luminous disc of large dimensions, yellow-orange in color, walking at breakneck speed. This craft left behind a dazzling white light.

Finally, a craftsman-carpenter saw a cylindrical-shaped craft, flying at very high altitude. It emitted orange-red glows, was heading northeast.

THURSDAY 7 OCTOBER: FLYING TOPS IN THE SKY OF MERCUREY -

One of our readers writes to tell us the following facts which he has witnessed these last days at Mercurey where he lives. In broad daylight, he told us he had observed, by clear sky, two craft turning at very great speed side by side, like spinning tops throwing purple and red yellow gleams, and seeming to be heading towards Le Creusot. These craft appeared to be at a height of 300 to 400 m, the top slightly convex and about 5 to 8 m in diameter. No noise, like that of jet planes and others.