THE OHIO UFO CRASH CONNECTION AND OTHER STORIES
by Dr. Irena Scott and William E. Jones
Ohio UFO Crash Connection
The "I" Beams
Decoding The "I" Beams
Ballistic Tests
Wright-Patterson Bodies
Another Saucer?
Test Site For UFO Materials?
Ohio Penitentiary Sighting
North American Aviation
Ohio UFO Crash Connection
Timken Furnace
Ralph A. Multer was an "A class" truck driver for the Timken Roller
Bearing
Company of Canton, Ohio in the summer of 1947 when on a hot day in
August or
September he and two other drivers were asked to go to a nearby
railroad
yard, pick up three trucks and bring the loads back to the plant. He
was
planning to meet his young wife - they had been married the previous
year -
for lunch. He was on a four hour shift and hoped he wouldn't be late.
Upon
his arrival at the rail yard, Ralph and the other drivers were given
three
flatbed trucks to drive back to the plant. The trailer on each truck
had a
load covered with a canvas tarpaulin. The load on Ralph's truck was
the
largest. It covered the entire width of the trailer and part of its
length.
The convoy was escorted by officials, but Ralph never said who these
escorts
were.
When they arrived back at the plant they were met by several men who
identified themselves as FBI. Being curious, Ralph asked what the
loads
were. The agent replied that they were parts of a "flying saucer" that
had
been recovered in New Mexico and that the new Timken furnace was going
to be
used to try and melt down the material. As his wife remembers the
story, he
was further told not to discuss the matter with anyone. Ralph had a
security
clearance as part of his job, so this revelation was being made within
that
context. The agent climbed up and pulled the tarp back to partially
expose
the load. From what Ralph could see, it was a "brushed aluminum"
colored
metallic object that appeared to have been blackened in places as if
someone
had tried to use a torch to cut off pieces of it. He did not see the
loads
on the other trucks.
When Ralph met his wife for lunch he was late. At first he didn't tell
her
why he had been late. However, after some prodding on her part and a
promise
not to talk to anyone about it, Ralph finally told her what had
happened. A
week or two later he ran into two of the furnace operators during the
lunch
period and he asked them what had happened with the material. They
replied
that the furnace "couldn't touch it." They couldn't break it or melt
it. He
never did learn what happened to the material after that. However,
word got
around the plant about the "flying saucer" and people were joking
about it.
In the years that followed, Ralph's wife noticed that the experience
had
changed him; she said, without elaboration, that the experience "never
left
his mind from then on." She always believed his story, noting, "He had
no
reason to make it up." Ralph passed away a number of years ago.
The "I" Beams
Timken wasn't the only Ohio company to be connected to government
sponsored
UFO research. Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, was a
major
contractor to the US Air Force's Project Blue Book. Battelle's
involvement
with Blue Book is well established, but that work may not have been
the most
interesting UFO related work to be undertaken at the world's largest
private
research and development organization.
Decoding The "I" Beams
In May of 1992 one of us was approached by an informant who told an
intriguing story. For the record, he was not a Battelle employee. He
had
attended North High School in Columbus, Ohio, graduating in June of
1960.
Between January and April of 1958, he dated a classmate named Cathy
Center.
One evening while he was visiting her home, Cathy's father, Mr. Elroy
John
Center, told them that while working at Battelle (he had left their
employment in 1957) he was responsible for a project which required
him to
study "parts" retrieved from a flying saucer. The parts had some sort
of
writing on them and his job was to "find out what the characters
meant." He
told them that there was "lots more I can't go into. It's been
bothering me
since I saw it." Given that some of the material (actually described
as
small "I beams") retrieved from the pre-crash debris field near
Roswell, New
Mexico in July, 1947 has been described as having some sort of writing
on
it, the obvious question is did the "parts" Mr. Center study come from
the
same crash event? The fact that Mr. Center's story was told long
before the
details of the Roswell debris were known publicly, the possible
confirmation
of his story by the later descriptions of that debris cannot be
ignored.
Mr. Center's employment at Battelle can be confirmed through the
American
Men of Science. It was learned from Mr. Center's wife that he died of
cancer
on July 15, 1991. She told us that he had been keenly interested in
the
subject of flying saucers, but she knew nothing about any such work
while he
was at Battelle. His daughter Cathy was contacted and remembers our
informant well but does not remember the conversation. She thought she
would
have remembered it because of her own interest in the subject, but
said it
is possible that it has been forgotten. She confirmed her father's
interest
in the subject of flying saucers and, like us, doubts that our
informant
would make up a story about the conversation.
For those who might think that they can contact Battelle to request
verification of this story will not find it there. First of all, too
many
years have passed and anyone who might know the truth will have long
since
retired. Secondly, since the information would have clearly been
highly
classified, the records would have gone back to the Government.
Thirdly,
Battelle's business practices do not permit it to discuss a client's
work.
An unidentified Battelle staff member wrote a letter about this
company that
was published in the September 1993 issue of Just Cause (Citizens
Against
UFO Secrecy, P.O. Box 218, Coventry, CT 06238) which states this ethic
better than we can. "The research Battelle undertakes is done with
integrity
and an ethical regard for the confidentiality of its clients, both
governmental and industrial (commercial). Battelle will not discuss
with
others the work it does for its clients. Because of this ethical
approach to
its work, including due regard to matters of national security,
Battelle
will not respond to inquiries about Blue Book or any of its other
work...This should not be seen as proof of cooperation in any sort of
imagined cover up. It is part of the ethical tradition that has been
part of
the Battelle business philosophy since its founding in 1929."
Ballistic Tests
In 1982 Kevin Meggs was attending Wright State University, taking a
course
in Statics and Dynamics. One night he was working at the library on a
class
project with an older classmate. During a moment of much needed
relaxation,
he and the classmate started talking about various matters and ended
up
discussing the UFO phenomenon. During this conversation, the
classmate, who
had worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for many years, stated
that as
a young engineer, he and his fellow workers were asked to test an
unusual
piece of material, the origin of which was left unstated. This
occurred in
the late 1940s or early 1950s, he couldn't remember exactly when.
The material was very thin and foil like. The particular piece they
were
given was about three feet square. It wouldn't crease or bend. Among
other
tests, they fired projectiles at the material. The material simply
absorbed
the projectiles and the energy it carried, dropping the projectile to
the
floor of the test chamber. The material wasn't penetrated. After the
tests
were completed, officials retrieved the square of material and
gathered up
all the reports and notebooks. They engineers were told that the tests
were
classified and that they were never to talk about the work they did.
During this conversation, Mr. Meggs asked about the Hanger 18 story.
The
classmate replied that he had heard there was a building which
contained
items from a retrieved flying saucer. He said it was a test chamber
where
the temperature could be varied. He knew little about the building or
what
went on inside, but he thought it had a three digit number. Reports
such as
this are being uncovered with increasing regularity by the MORA staff.
Wright-Patterson Bodies
Jim Donohoe , an independent UFO investigator living in Madison
County, was
a teenager in 1953 and it was not uncommon for his uncle, who was a
highly
placed civil servant at Wright Field, to drop by Jim's home in South
Charleston, Ohio, to chat. For some reason Jim's aunt did not want her
husband talking about his work when he was at home, so on occasion Jim
became an outlet for his uncle when it came to his work at the Field.
Jim
was quite interested in airplanes and things technical, so the
relationship
work well for them both.
Jim's uncle had joined the Army Air Force in 1937 and ferried aircraft
across the Pacific as part of his duties. On one occasion during the
war he
was at a base that was heavily bombed by the Japanese and, when the
bombing
was over, he was the highest ranking officer left alive at the field.
He was
asked to take command until a higher ranking replacement could be
brought
in. Jim's uncle lived an interesting life on occasion. In mid-1947 he
left
the military and took a job at Wright Field. The job included keeping
track
of civilian aircraft that were leased by the Government for test and
research and development purposes. He was also responsible for
locating
appropriate civilian and military aircraft to be used in these
programs. As
a result, he got to know many people who worked at Wright Field and he
had
access to many of the hangers and buildings there.
On one particular day, probably a weekend, Jim was working on at home
on a
model boat. His uncle stopped by and told Jim that he had a story to
tell
that he thought Jim would be interested in. As it turned out, Jim was
interested, but today in retrospect Jim wishes he had taken notes and
asked
more questions. He didn't truly appreciate the significance of what he
was
being told. His uncle said that a friend at the Field had taken him
"down
into" a cold storage area. In this area was a separate room. The
friend
turned on the lights and there, in the middle of the room, was a
table. On
the table was a sheet which covered the forms of three small humanoid
bodies. The arms, legs and the body itself were apparent. His uncle
estimated that the bodies were four to four and a half feet tall. The
friend
revealed that these forms were the bodies of three beings from a
flying
saucer which had recently crashed in the Arizona desert and were there
to be
autopsied. He said that the bodies had teeth and that no decay was
present.
In fact, the bodies were surprisingly void of any harmful bacteria.
The
friend then turned out the lights and they left. Jim's uncle did not
see the
bodies uncovered. During their short conversation the friend said that
there
had been two such crashes in Arizona. If Jim's uncle said where these
crashes had occurred, he doesn't remember now. Several weeks later
Jim's
uncle returned and asked him not to repeat the story to anyone. Jim
honored
that request until after his uncle died.
Jim noted that his uncle had never reported seeing a UFO, nor had he
expressed a special interest in the subject. He was a truthful person
and
Jim doesn't believe that the story was made up.
Recently [This section was written in 1994. - ed.] part of Jim's
uncle's
story appeared in a local Madison county newspaper and in a newsletter
that
Jim issues, Equinox. A woman who Jim knows called him after reading
the
story and told him that a friend of theirs had a similar experience in
1953
when he went to Wright Field to interview for a custodial type job. He
had
been sent over to a building and told to report to a specific office.
When
he got to the building he couldn't find the office or even anyone in
the
halls. He ended up in a lower or basement level where he discovered
several
rooms that were laboratories. She reported that he claimed to have
opened a
door where he discovered a sight similar to the one reported by Jim's
uncle.
On a table were three bodies, partially covered with a sheet. He
described
the bodies as small and human like. He quickly shut the door and left.
This
experience scared him and he decided not to take the job after all.
Another Saucer?
Members of the aviation community are good sources of information
concerning
the government's involvement in UFO research. A few of these people
have
been directly involved and, on occasion, tell their friends something
about
what they know. That is how this story reached MORA associates Mark
Savage
and Frank Reams, both of whom are pilots.
The owner of an Ohio avionics shop has a friend who had been with a
military
security group in the 1960s which was occasionally involved in matters
related to the UFO phenomenon. This friend usually didn't talk about
this
aspect of his work, but one evening he did relate that he had seen a
saucer-shaped craft in a hangar near the NORAD facility at Cheyenne
Mountain, Colorado. He said that one of the windows in the craft had
been
broken - yes, we realize this sounds like the long discredited Frank
Scully
story form the book Behind the Flying Saucers, Henry Holt and Company,
NY,
1950 - and five aliens had been found dead inside. He would say no
more
about that experience, but he did add that he still gets contacted
every 90
days or so by security personnel who remind him of his obligation not
to
talk about his past work with this security group. These security
people
usually inquire as to whether anyone has contacted him to ask
questions
about that work.
With a bit of reckless courage, Frank Reams decided to do just that.
The
avionics shop owner knew where his friend had been working about ten
years
prior and Frank called the telephone information service in that area.
No
one was listed by the friend's name. Then the employer, a large public
institution, was contacted, but the people he talked to would not
confirm or
deny that the person worked there. Frank then sent a
certified/return-receipt-requested letter to the person in care of
that
institution, but it was returned unclaimed. Thus, a dead end was
reached.
This story sounds suspicious, especially because of the similarity
between
it and the Scully story. However, the part of the story about periodic
security checks has been heard before. Several years ago Frank was in
Canada
having his aircraft fueled and checked. He and the aircraft
maintenance
worker struck up a conversation that somehow got around to the subject
of
UFOs. The man stated that he had been in the US Air Force in the 1970s
and
that his work had included investigating the UFO situation. He stated
that
the whole subject was "scary." He added that security personnel still
contacted him every two or three months to remind him of his security
obligations. Because of this, he declined to discuss the subject of
UFOs
further with Frank. When asked if he had heard similar security
stories, UFO
crash/retrieval investigator Leonard Stringfield replied, "Yes, I know
of
several of my informants who get 'follow up' reminders of their
security
oaths. Some are by phone and some involve 'chance' meetings at the
drug
store or grocery, etc. Others report in person to an office, perhaps
in a
federal building, or even an 'insurance' company."
North American Aviation, Columbus, Ohio Test Site For UFO Materials?
The North American Aviation aircraft plant is still located at the
Port
Columbus International Airport complex on the east side of Columbus,
Ohio,
although it is no longer used for manufacturing aircraft. It was
originally
used by Curtis Wright to build airplanes during World War II and was
then
leased to North American Aviation. Since then a number of military
aerospace
companies have leased part or all of the facility to build various
airplanes, missiles and aerospace related parts. Roy Beck - he
apparently
had no middle name, but said the military required him to come up with
one,
so he chose Robert -- was a mystery man to his family. He was
reportedly
born February 15, 1904 to Abraham and Lila (Pfeiffers) Beck in
Missouri.
Roy‚s wife and two daughters never knew much about him. He was
secretive,
sometimes seemingly to the point of paranoia. The family moved almost
every
year, but they stayed within the mid-Ohio area. He was married to this
wife,
Nora Beck (Adams) in 1944 in Columbus, Ohio. Nora‚s name was actually
"Norabelle" but she never used it. The family learned after his death
in
January 1975 that he may have had several previous wives and at least
one
son. His early work history is murky and sometimes doesn‚t seem to
completely hold together. One of his daughters remembers "men in
suits"
coming to their house on occasion and talking to their father in
secret.
Most of his jobs that the family was told about involved security,
private
investigative work, and aerospace manufacturing.
According to notes that Roy kept and the family still has, from August
1,
1944 to March 15, 1947 he and his wife ran Beck Electric on North High
Street in Columbus. According to a yellowing news paper ad, they
seemed to
have specialized in the repair of carpet sweepers and radios. He
worked as a
supervisor guard at the Ohio Penitentiary from November 1, 1947
through
August 31, 1950 and at North American Aviation from April 14, 1951
until he
retired in 1971. But there were other interesting parts to his
employment
and perhaps volunteer work history. He was a Army of the United
States,
Auxiliary Military Police "member" during World War II, receiving
certificates of service from The Timkin Roller Bearing Company,
probably the
Columbus plant, on September 5, 1942; from The Jeffery Manufacturing
Company
in Columbus on October 16, 1943; and from The Ralston Steel Car
Company in
Columbus on March 20, 1944. He was also a deputy sheriff in Madison
County,
Ohio - the family has a picture of him being sworn in - and he also
told the
family that he was a US Marshall. Plus, there were rumors of mob
involvement
during Prohibition when he was a young man. If all of this is true, or
if
some of it is bravado, the family can‚t really say. But there is
slight
evidence for most of it. What it all means, if anything, is unknown.
However, Roy Beck had an interest in and possible classified knowledge
of
UFOs.
Ohio Penitentiary Sighting
It was an event at the Ohio Penitentiary that apparently convinced Roy
Beck
that UFOs were real. According to his daughters, Roy told the family
that he
had seen a flying saucer over the pen. They aren‚t sure when this
happened,
because they were only children at the time, but they think it was in
1949
or 1950. According to their father, a saucer that seemed to be as big
as the
penitentiary yard came in from the north unnoticed and suddenly
appeared to
the staff and prisoners below. It was night, at approximately 3 A.M.
It then
floated out over the south wall and should have been visible to anyone
on
Spring Street. It was low, 100 to 200 feet off the top of the wall.
The saucer looked like two dinner plates placed face to face, with a
center
portion between the two, This center portion rotated. The upper part
was not
as convex as the lower, and thus appeared to be smaller. The upper
part had
what appeared to be port holes. The lower larger portion also
contained port
holes and was flat in the center. When it got over the south wall the
lower
portion became partially transparent and humanoid like beings could be
seen
silhouetted inside. It appeared that these beings were looking down
into the
pen to see what was going on. The guards got scared and started to
break out
the machine guns, but Roy being a supervisor ordered the guards not to
shoot. It seemed to him that this would be futile; this was no prison
break
attempt. After a few minutes the saucer took off at a high speed; it
almost
seemed to disappear.
North American Aviation
After leaving his employment at the penitentiary, Roy went to work at
North
American where he stayed until his retirement. One day in 1963, Roy
called
Etta, his older 13 year old daughter, into a back room of their home.
He
wanted to show her something. He pulled out a large manila envelope
and said
he wanted her to know that flying saucers were real. He also told her
never
to tell anyone about what he was going to show her. If she did, he
could get
in big trouble. Inside the envelope were two black and white
photographs of
alien bodies and several more of machinery parts, which Roy said came
from a
crashed flying saucer. The alien was dead. It looked like what we call
a
"gray" today, except its eyes were only slightly larger than ours.
It had skinny long arms and legs, and a stomach which was distended.
The
body reminded Etta of pictures she had seen of starving children. One
picture was a facial shot and the other was a side shot of the entire
body
on a table. No clothes were visible. An apparent second body was seen
in the
background on another table covered by a sheet.
Roy told her that the craft had crashed. One had exploded and the
other had
come down near it. He didn‚t say why the second craft was unable to
leave.
There were two aliens in each craft. One was dead and the other
severely
injured in the craft that had exploded. Of the two from the intact
craft,
one was shot and killed, and the other captured, later to die in
custody. He
said that he learned about this because of his work at North American
where
they had been asked to attempt to determine what the material from the
flying saucer was made of and how it worked. He told her that they
couldn‚t
even scratch the stuff. He said he borrowed the pictures from a file
there.
She believes that work at North American on the flying saucer parts
took
place in 1953 or 1954. Many of the parts were big. She remembers her
father
saying that they had to use at least one very large truck to move the
parts
out of the plant and back to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Is any part of this true? MORA has another report of a UFO close
encounter
at the Ohio Penitentiary. Both of Roy‚s daughters denied having heard
the
story other than through their father; they were pleased by our
seeming
confirmation of his story. However, our other report has the event
happening
in 1966. Two such events seem highly unlikely. (See the Ohio UFO
Notebook,
August 1991, pp. 7 - 9.) The work done at North American sounds
suspiciously
similar to earlier work that was reportedly done at the Timkin roller
Bearing Company plant in Canton Ohio.
The two daughters of Roy Beck are looking for more information about
their
father. So are we. If any reader of this article knows something,
please
contact us. This is an interesting, puzzling, and suspicious story.