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From: Masinaigan
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 13:59:34 -0500 (EST)
Fwd Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 14:17:33 -0500
Subject: UFO ROUNDUP, Volume 2, Number 4


         UFO ROUNDUP

Volume 2, Number 4
January 26, 1997
Editor: Joseph Trainor

UFO FLAP SWEEPS MEDITERRANEAN

     The recent "green fireball" sighting over Rome's
Leonardo da Vinci Airport was just the kickoff for a
UFO flap that has swept Italy, Sandinia and Corsica
during the past two weeks.

     Eight major sightings are now being investigated
by the Centro Italiano di Studi Ufologici (CISU),
according to their newsletter, the CISU Flash for
January 25, 1997.

     On December 11, 1996, at about 8 a.m., people
in the village of Ascoli Piceno in the Sibillini mountain
range saw "a flaming object with a (visible) trail" flying
high in the sky.  Following the sighting, a Fire Brigade
helicopter spotted a mysterious pond of melted snow
near the peak of Mount Vettore.  (See the Italian
newspaper Corriere Adriatico for December 12, 1996.
CISU investigator: Carlo Cruciani)

     On January 5, 1997, at 7:10 a.m., a man and woman
in Abbadia di Fiastra, Macerata province, spotted "a
soundless, strange green light moving high in the sky."
The couple had it in view for a few minutes before it
flew away.  (See the newspaper Il Resto del Carlino for
January 9, 1997.  CISU investigator: Simone Grandicelli)

     On the afternoon of January 7, 1997, a family of four
at Arlena di Castro in Viterbo province sighted "a white
ball passing through the sky."  (See the newspapers
Corriere di Viterbo and Il Messaggero for January 9,
1997.  CISU investigator: Angelo Ferlicca)

     A few hours later on January 7, "a bright pulsing
light in the sky" was seen at La Spezia.  (See the
newspaper La Nazione for January 9, 1997.  CISU
investigator: Monica Bottino)

     On January 12, a UFO made an appearance over
the island of Sardinia.  At 11 p.m., an engaged couple
having a quite cuddle at Villamassargia were suddenly
interrupted by "a large circle of beam-emitting light
circling in the sky."  The UFO hovered for about 20
minutes before taking off.  (See the newspaper
L'Unione Sarda for January 13, 1997.  The case was
investigated by Antonio Cuccu of CISU)

     The following day, January 13, a bowl-shaped UFO
appeared over mainland Italy.  At 8:20 p.m., three men
at Albacina watched "a half-moon object hover above
a hill" for about three minutes.  (See the newspapers
Corriere Adriatico, Il Messaggero and Il Centro for
January 15, 1997.  CISU Investigators: Simone
Grandicelli and Renzo Cabassi)

     On January 14, 1997, at 8 p.m., two tourists in the
town of Prignano, near Salerno, gaped in amazement
as "a luminous cone-shaped object with rotating lights"
rose above the rooftops.  The UFO failed to keep its
equilibrium and turned turtle several times while it was
airborne.  (CISU investigator: Giorgio Russolillo)

     On January 15, 1997, at 5 p.m., people in the city
of Piacenza called police to report "a gray oval-shaped
flying object" passing over their homes.

     Three hours later, at 8:15 p.m., "two white rotating
lights" were spotted in Fiumicino, a suburb of Rome.
The UFOs were videotaped by onlookers and vanished
after 20 minutes.  (See the newspaper Corriere della
Sera for January 16, 1997.  CISU investigators: Marco
Bianchini and Giancarlo D'Alessandra)

(Editor's Comment: I think we can write off the Prignano
UFO as a prankster's hoax.  The Mount Vettore case is
interesting, though.  Whoever heard of unfrozen water on
an Italian mountaintop in the middle of winter?)


NEW FLAP ROCKS QUEENSLAND

     Queensland and Western Australia were rocked by a
four-day UFO flap just prior to Christmas.

     Sightings began the night of December 18, 1996 on
the Queensland "Gold Coast" between Brisbane and
Gladstone.  A man living in the Auburn range northwest
of Gayndah, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the coast
reported "seeing a group of spinning, rotating lights
about 40 meters (130 feet) away."  The lights hovered
for five minutes and then zipped away toward the coast
in the direction of Burleigh Head.

     That same night, December 18, people living in
Burleigh Waters phoned police to report a UFO.  They
all described the same object, which "appeared to be a
revolving cigar-shaped object with bright white lights."
Witnesses said they observed the lights coming from
"several square windows along the side" of the UFO.

     A few hours later, December 19, the theatre of
UFO action switched to sparsely-populated Western
Australia.  At 2 a.m., residents of the seaport city and
state capital of Perth sighted "twelve spinning lights
behind and above cloud cover," moving west towards
the Indian Ocean.

     At 2:30 a.m. on December 19, residents of the
port town of Coolangatta, on Australia's east coast
south of Brisbane, saw "twelve circles of spinning
lights 3 to 4 kilometers (2 to 3 miles) out to sea."

     The following night, December 20, people living in
the port of Townsville in northern Queensland, 860
kilometers (650 miles) north of Brisbane, reported an
overflight of UFOs.

     On December 21, 1996, at 1:30 a.m., residents
of Toowoomba, a Queensland city 128 kilometers
(80 miles) west of Brisbane, saw 50 luminous UFOs
flying in formation over the city.  Their estimated
altitude was 400 feet (120 meters) off the ground.

(Many thanks to Ross Dowe and Australia's
National UFO Hotline for this report.)


LARGE SAUCER SEEN IN PORTUGAL

     On Monday, January 20, 1997, two men in the
town of Covilha, in the mountainous Beira Baixa
region of Portugal, spotted a large UFO flying over
the Serra da Estrela range after dark.

     Carlos Arruda and Sergio Mendes were standing
on the street when they noticed "one big light in the
sky" near Pico da Estrela mountain "moving from east
to west and heading for the Atlantic."

     "The light was big and round and always changing
in color," Arruda said.  "First it was strong white, very
strong, and it seemed to be behind the clouds.  Its
second color was red, and its last (final) color was
light blue."

     As the UFO flew over Covilha, Arruda added, they
could make out "Three colors in a circle in the sky.
The thing moved quickly to the west."  The men lost
sight of the UFO once it passed behind the Serra da
Estrela ridgeline, heading for Lourosa.  (Unsolicited
Email)

(Editor's Note: Portugal's Serra da Estrela range is a
notorious hotspot.  In late September, a backpacker
was reportedly abducted near Fundao.  Three weeks
later, there was a case of sheep mutilation in
Idanha-a-Nova.)


SEVEN UFOs OVER LAKE ONTARIO

     On Saturday, January 18, 1997, Canadians living
on the north shore of Lake Ontario were startled by the
sight of a UFO squadron.  The seven UFOs, described
as "similar to lights in a show on TV," apparently first
appeared over the smaller Rice Lake, passed over
Harwood and Cold Springs, and crossed the Lake
Ontario shoreline near Port Hope, Ontario
(population 9,788).  Witnesses in Port Hope reported
seeing the UFOs flying high and zigzagging across
the sky over the big lake at about 7 a.m.

(Many thanks to Errol Bruce-Knapp and Jennifer
Jarvis of MUFON Ontario for this report.)


EARLIER CROP CIRCLE IN HEMITT?

     Last week, UFO ROUNDUP reported the strange
case of the "crop circle" etched in cement in the
backyard patio of a retired couple living in Hemitt,
California.  Now some startling new information has
been offered in this case.

     According to retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Steve
Wilson, there was a similar incident in Hemitt nearly
35 years ago, back in the summer of 1962.

     Col. Wilson writes, "In July 1962, I investigated
exactly the same kind of circle that was found by Mr.
Peffly of Hemitt, Cal., who worked for the (California)
Division of Forestry based in Hemitt.  This circle
appeared at the forestry camp at Puerta La Cruz,
where Mr. Peffly worked.  (USAF) Tests were done on
the substance and it was found (to be) only slightly
radioactive.  It had also changed the composition of
the cement."

     According to Col. Wilson, the 1962 incident was
hushed up by Delta Force, which reportedly threatened
Mr. Heffly and his family.  (Email Interview)

(Editor's Note: The July 1962 incident sounds like a
typical "evidence retrieval" by what was then called
Operation Moon Dust.)


From the UFO Files:

LITTLE SAUCER ON THE PRAIRIE

     This coming week marks the 100th Anniversary of one
of the earliest UFO sightings in the United States.  The
flap took place during the last days of January 1897 in
the town of Hastings, Nebraska, 160 miles (256
kilometers) southwest of Omaha.

     According to the Kansas Semi-Weekly Capital of
March 31, 1897, the UFO was seen the morning of
Sunday, January 24, 1897.  People thought a mysterious
inventor was experimenting with an "airship" about 10
miles (16 kilometers) west of the small city.  The UFO
circled for a few minutes and then zoomed away to the
north.

     Here's the story as it appeared in the Omaha,
Nebraska Bee for February 2, 1897: "Several Hastings
people report that an air ship, or something of the
kind, has been sailing around in the air west of this
city.  It was first noticed sometime last fall when it
was seen floating in the air about 500 feet (175 meters)
above the ground, and after standing still for about 30
minutes, it began to to circle about and took a
northerly direction for about two miles, after which it
returned to its starting place and sank into oblivion."

     "Since that time it has not been seen until last
Sunday evening, when it was observed standing nearly
still, a few miles west of Hastings and seemingly about
800 feet in the air."

     "At first sight it had the appearance of an immense
star, but after closer observation the powerful light
shows by its color to be artificial.  It certainly must be
illuminated by powerful electric dynamos for the light
sent forth by it is wonderful."

     "At 9:30 last Monday night (January 25, 1897) the
large glaring light was seen to circle around for a few
minutes and then descended for about 200 feet, circling
as it traveled at a remarkable speed for about two miles
and then slowing up it circled for fully 15 minutes, when
it began to lower and disappear as mysteriously as it had
made its appearance...A close watch is being kept for its
reappearance."

     On February 5, 1897, the Omaha Bee reported that
the UFO had been sighted again, this time at Invale,
a tiny farm town 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of
Hastings, near the Kansas state line.  The UFO was
seen by people returning from a prayer meeting.

     "It (the UFO) seemed to be conical-shaped and
perhaps 30 to 40 feet in length, with a bright headlight
and six smaller lights, three on a side, and seemed to
have two sets of wings on a side, with a large fan-shaped
rudder," the Bee reported.  The Invale witnesses claimed
to have heard rumbling engine noises and the voices of
the "airship's" occupants.  (See the Omaha, Nebraska
Bee for February 2 and February 5, 1897, plus the
Kansas Semi-Weekly Capital of Topeka, Kansas for
March 31, 1897 "Strange Light in the Sky.")


FUN UFO WEBSITES

     Want to keep up with UFO sightings in Sweden? Try

http://www.itv.se/~A1142/indexe.htm

     Banque OVNI in France is a great source for UFO
sightings and Fortean events of all kinds. Check in at

http://members.aol.com/tgphenix/actuphen.htm

     UFO News has up-to-date bulletins at their site.
Check it out at

http://www.realtime.net/~dream/index10.html

     Not to be missed is our parent site, UFO INFO, at

http://www.ftech.net/~ufoinfo/index.htm

     And, if you want to read back issues of UFO
ROUNDUP, check in at this URL:

http://www.ftech.net/~ufoinfo/roundup.hts


That's it for this week.  American readers, check the
clock.  It's six hours to Superbowl XXXI.  (Go Pats!)
Back next week with more news from "the paper
that covers the saucers--UFO ROUNDUP."

UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 1997 by Masinaigan
Productions, all rights reserved.  Readers may post
any stories from UFO ROUNDUP on their websites
provided that they credit the newsletter and the
editor by name and cite the date of the newsletter
in which the story appeared.