From: Masinaigan@aol.com
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 13:17:28 -0400 (EDT)
Fwd Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 15:07:49 -0400
Subject: UFO ROUNDUP, Volume 2, Number 29
UFO ROUNDUP
Volume 2, Number 29
July 20, 1997
Editor: Joseph Trainor
SAUCER CRASHES IN BRAZIL'S
MATO GROSSO DO SUL
On Tuesday night, July 1, 1997, residents of the
rural district of Nova Brasilandia, located in the
Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, saw "an
incandescent object" in the sky. The object crashed
close to Teresopolis, a town near the Rio Sao Manuel,
approximately 300 kilometers (180 miles) north of
Cuiaba, the state capital.
Isaias Rezenda, a former state representative for
Mato Grosso do Sul, told the newspaper Correio
Braziliense on a ranch belonging to Divino Fogoio.
On Monday, July 7, 1997, two journalist teams tried
to enter the property, but were warned off by Sr. Fogoio,
who reportedly "told them he could allow access only
to personnel authorized by Brazil's federal government."
"Sr. Fogoio, however, confirms the reports from
people who saw an incandescent object coming in over
the region, causing a 'tremendous bang' that not only
shook his house but also was heard at a distance of
of over 100 kilometers (60 miles)" in the Serra do
Cachimbo.
According to the newspaper Jornal do Brasil of Rio
de Janeiro, "Many people told of having witnessed the
incandescent object coming in over the region,
producing 'a great bang'...The farmer (Divino Fogoio)
said he had observed the object for six minutes before
it crashed."
"The vaqueiro (cowboy) Gilberto Braga, who lives in
Nova Brasilandia, was the only one who had the courage
to touch the object. 'It seems an iron ball, bigger than a
tractor, that released an odd smell,' he said."
"Residents of the region are concerned about a
possible contamination of the herds or of the population
who lives at the riverside by the UFO. The crash site
lies along the banks of the Rio Manso."
"'It was a disc-shaped object, with an intense light,'
said Claudio Picci, Nova Brasilandia's municipal
Secretary of Industry and Commerce."
On Tuesday, July 8, 1997, an investigative team
from AMPUP, a paranormal study group based in Cuiaba,
arrived in Nova Brasilandia. AMPUP vice president Marcy
Monteiro Neto interviewed several witnesses. According
to her report, the ranch's overseer "didn't stand very long
close by (the UFO) due to the intense smell. He also said
the object is black, whether it's metal or concrete is not
known, and it is the size of a truck."
A crew from Gazeta TV attempted to enter the Fogoio
ranch on July 9 and was turned away by Brazil's Policia
Militar. An aircraft hired by Globo TV, Brazil's largest
network, overflew the property later in the day. (See the
newspapers Correio Braziliense of Brasilia, D.F. for
July 9, 1997 and Jornal do Brasil of Rio de Janeiro for
July 9, 1997. Muito obrigado a Paulo Andrade por
eso caso.)
BLUE UFO SEEN OVER ILLINOIS
AND MISSOURI ON THE FOURTH
OF JULY
Hundreds of eyewitnesses living in suburban Illinois
and Missouri communities around the city of St. Louis
reported sighting a "bright blue UFO" the night of Friday,
July 4, 1997. The sightings took place between 9 p.m.
and 10 p.m.
Eyewitness Jonathan J. of East Carondelet, Illinois
reported, "While we were shooting fireworks, we looked
up and saw a blue light traveling very quickly (from) East
to West. It was very high, but at the same time, it
appeared to be right on top of us. I asked who it was
who had shot that, and nobody had launched anything."
"Besides, it had way too much altitude, and was
coming from an impossible direction to have been
launched by us...I walked out onto the driveway, looking
West, and realized that no neighbors were out. And
even if they were, they'd be way too far away to have
fired a rocket that high...No noise was noted. Almost
my entire family saw it." (Email Interview)
ARIZONA JOLTED BY A NEW
THREE-DAY UFO FLAP
UFOs paid a return visit to Arizona on Friday,
July 11, 1997, triggering a three-day flap in metro
Phoenix, Glendale and Tucson.
During the evening of July 11, 1997, Erin L.,
age 19, and a friend were at Vista Point, near
Lake Pleasant Harbor and Glendale (population
96,988), "relaxing and looking for meteors while
sitting on top of our car. A huge triangular object
with several very dim reddish-orange lights passed
directly over our heads, making absolutely no noise
and no vibrations. We were very scared. It was
going at a steady speed, but not very fast, maybe
25 to 30 miles per hour. Anyhow, it was much too
low and not well lit enough for any airplane at that
height. But then, the strangest thing was how it
sort of jolted, then shot off and disappeared."
On Saturday, July 12, 1997, at 8:30 a.m., a
teenaged boy in Tucson saw a UFO in the sky
while he was standing at the corner of Ana Road
and First Street. He described it as "a round shape,
with lights--orange, yellow, white--moving very, very
fast." (Email Interview)
Skywatch member Jeff Ferris took his new
videocamera to a friend's house in Scottsdale, after
the friend reported "that the UFOs were flying over
his neighborhood. Ferris shot footage on both Friday
and Saturday, July 11 and July 12. Channel 10 News
showed up to investigate and captured two of the
UFOs on videotape.
According to Phoenix ufologist and videographer
Tom King, "There were multiple objects in the sky.
Some were explained as grocery bags; others are
simply unexplainable at this time. The white and
yellow objects were at very high altitude, and some
were at twice the altitude (70,000 feet or 21,212
meters--J.T.) of local commercial aircraft."
Another Skywatch member, Casey Smith, had
a scanner operating "and we heard Sky Harbor
Airport report that they had an object at 4,000 feet
that hadn't been identified. It was heard by several
people, including the media who reported on it."
According to ufologist Bill Hamilton of Skywatch
International, on Sunday, July 13, 1997, the entire
Arizona Skywatch team had a meeting at Village
Labs and reviewed "daylight video of objects over
Thomas Road in Phoenix. They took a local
Channel 10 crew out to the site that afternoon,
and the news crew taped an object with their Betacam
that appeared as a round white object at high
altitude."
On Monday, July 14, 1997, local residents were
surprised by what they called "a stakeout" staffed by
Men In Black (MIBs). The incident took place just
off Interstate (Highway) 10, at a portion of Sky Harbor
Airport near 40th Street. Witnesses reported that the
MIBs were "unloading from a Boeing 747. They were
putting equipment and boxes on a bus similar to a
Greyhound. The bus was white with a red stripe
running lengthwise around the vehicle." (Many thanks
to Bill Hamilton, Tom King and others for these reports.)
V-SHAPED UFO APPEARS OVER
LAGRANGE, GEORGIA
Last weekend, at the same time white UFOs were
flying over Arizona, radio station WGST in Georgia
reported "a UFO being seen for the last few nights"
over LaGrange (population 24,204), located on Highway
29 near the Alabama state line, approximately 64 miles
(102 kilometers) southwest of Atlanta.
Morning deejay Ian Ponnet reportedly interviewed
the captain of the LaGrange P.D. about the incidents.
The UFO was seen to hover "for an extended period of
time." On the night of Sunday, July 13, 1997, the
object "appeared to hover at an altitude of approximately
10,000 feet (3,030 meters). It was substantial in size
and had the same characteristics (V-shape plus lights)
of the UFOs recently sighted in Phoenix. It was reportedly
seen by thousands of people."
On June 24, pilot Jerry T. encountered unusual
phenomena while flying over LaGrange. He reported,
"While flying VFR (Visual Flight Rules--J.T.) at 5,000
feet in clear air under a perfectly smooth heavy overcast
layer at 8,000 feet, I saw what appeared to be five holes
in the clouds approximately five miles east of LaGrange.
The holes were perfectly round and approximately 300
yards (900 feet or 270 meters) in size. Below each
cloud was a residue of cloud that was very thin and
transparent. It appeared to me that something punched
downward, creating the hole and pushing some of the
cloud vapor with it." Jerry ruled out air turbulence,
pointing out that "turbulence, depending on altitude,
would cause the clouds to mix, erasing the hole. These
opening remained intact for more than half an hour."
(Email Interview)
FIREBALL ASTONISHES
CALIFORNIA MOTORISTS
On June 29, 1997, several motorists were driving
south on Interstate Highway 5, south of Los Banos,
California (population 10,341) at 11:30 p.m.
Suddenly, "we saw what we thought was a
(Boeing) 747 coming in at a high rate of speed
straight for the ground," Mr. W. reported. "We
slowed down, as did the other cars on the road,
and waited to see the fireball. What actually happened
was, the craft headed toward the ground...and
incredibly...pulled straight back up!"
"We were amazed and continued to watch...we
were all freaking out and couldn't believe what we'd
seen. We continued to watch, and the craft started
to veer towards the highway. We were all terrified,
still thinking it was some sort of weird jetliner that
was going to crash."
When it came toward them, the trio "could see
that this thing was MASSIVE, and it had three huge
white lights that were almost blinding to look at.
We all kept saying it wasn't an airplane because it
didn't have a tail, and it didn't have any red flashing
lights...We thought sure that thing was going to fly
right over us, but instead it turned up (banked--J.T.)
so that the huge white lights were vertical, did a
180-degree turn, and zipped off at an incredible rate
of speed."
Los Banos is in Merced County, 112 miles
(179 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco.
(Many thanks to Steve Wilson Sr. for this news
story.)
UFO DAZZLES OBSERVERS
IN EASTERN FRANCE
On Monday, July 14, 1997, at 1:07 a.m., five
members of Groupement des Ufologues Independents
de l'Est (GUIDE) spotted a UFO while on a skywatch
at Chateau-Salins in eastern France.
Chateau-Salins is a small town 30 kilometers
(18 miles) east of Nancy, in the department of Moselle.
The UFO first appeared looking like "a satellite"
in a "a slightly covered (overcast) sky but without storm."
After flying in a straight line, the "sphere of light" began
to approach the five GUIDE members. The object
hovered "above a group of trees around 50 meters
(165 feet) from the observers.
"The sphere of light, the size of a fist at the end of
a man's arm, disappeared in a sheaf of light that
illuminated all of the area, blinding the witnesses for
several minutes."
A subsequent search by GUIDE found that "no plane,
either civilian or military, had been in the area at the
time of the observation." (Merci beaucoup a Robert
Fischer of GUIDE pour ces nouvelles.)
GLOWING UFOs HAUNT RADIO
TOWERS IN AUSTRALIA
Between Sunday, July 13, and Thursday, July 17,
1997, numerous residents of Gippsland in Victoria
(Vic.) state, Australia reported "brimstone and orange"
fireballs hovering near the Omega antenna array in
the Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance districts.
On Thursday and Friday nights, July 17 and 18,
people in Shepparton, Vic. "reported sighting up to
five brimstone/orange lights holding position over
Radio Australia's transmitter site at Congupna, and
then flew off to the east."
On Friday, July 18, 1997, at 11:25 p.m., local
Ambulance personnel reported seeing "bright red/
orange lights above the Radio Australia tower" at
Congupna. Radio Australia staff said that they
"didn't think the lights were associated with their
600 kilowatt transmitter." (Many thanks to Ross
Dowe of Australia's National 24-Hour UFO Hotline
for letting us quote from his reports.)
CROP CIRCLES POP UP AT
THREE SITES IN THE USA
On Wednesday, July 9, 1997, farmer Paul
Bryan made an astonishing discovery on his 15-acre
oat field in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. Three
crop circles had appeared.
According to the UPI report, "One large circle
about 100 yards (97 meters) long, appears in the
center of...the field. To the sides of the circle, two
straight lines point to smaller circles."
On Sunday, July 6, at 6:30 a.m., farmer Gary
Hansen discovered crop circles in his barely field
on Highway 91 just outside of Smithfield, Utah
(population 4,993). Hansen's 750-acre field
contained barley 2 and 1/2 feet (0.7 meters) high.
Smithfield is in Cache County 86 miles (137
kilometers) north of Salt Lake City.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, "Hansen's
daughter, Maegan, 15, said drivers have been pulling
off the highway since Monday afternoon (July 7). She
said people are taking pictures of the circles or
standing at the center of the larger one, presumably
for cosmic enlightenment. 'We've had to put up No
Trespassing signs,' said Maegan."
"She said there are two unusual things about the
circles. First, when a visitor to the site opened his
compass, the needle started to spin wildly. Second
the rocks within the circles have not been disturbed
as one would expect if something were dragged over
them, such as a board or rope."
"Maegan's brother, Dustin, said the stalks in the
circle were laid down perfectly. 'It's amazing the way
it's made,' he said, 'Every grain piece is laid in a
perfect spot. No kernels broken. If you step on it,
the kernels are (normally) crushed."
"Gary Hansen is also mystified, saying that he
has never seen anything like it."
"He refused to guess at the cause of the circles,
but called them a 'mess' that has cost him about
$500 in trampled grain."
"'My friends think it's all pretty weird,' said Maegan,
'They call me the Alien Girl.'"
Last year, on August 23, 1996, a crop circle
appeared on Seth Adler's farm in Providence, Utah,
15 miles (25 kilometers) south of Smithfield. (See the
Salt Lake Tribune for July 10, 1997)
On Friday, July 11, 1997, Nick Bartlett and B.J.
Kruse, both 15, discovered crop circles in a wheat
field south of Waverly, Nebraska (population 1,726).
Waverly is 38 miles (61 kilometers) southwest of
Omaha and 13 miles (20 kilometers) northeast of
Lincoln, the state capital.
Bartlett and Kruse "said there were no tracks
leading to the crop circle when they went out Friday
morning to investigate. Bartlett first noticed a
depression in the wheat field on July 6 and told
Kruse about it. But both were out of town for a few
days so they didn't look into it immediately."
"Bartlett said, "I couldn't believe how perfect the
circles were.'"
"The teenagers described the configuration as
a big F or a big key. The largest circle is about
40 feet (13 meters) in diameter and the smaller one
is about half that size. The crop circle is just off a
dead end street."
On July 22, 1996, Kelly Reiser discovered a
crop circle just southwest of Butte, Nebraska in
Boyd County. Butte (population 529) is 180 miles
(288 kilometers) northwest of Waverly. (See the
Lincoln, Nebraska Journal-Star for July 12, 1997)
CROP CIRCLE APPEARS IN
THE NETHERLANDS
On Tuesday, July 8, 1997, residents of
Hooghalen, a town near Drenthe in the Netherlands
found 15 crop circles in a rye field.
The formation was investigated by Hilda Musch,
31, a ufologist with UFO-AID of Sappemeer. The
crop circles measured 7 to 8 meters (21 to 25 feet)
in diameter. Ms. Musch also discovered "in one of
the circles...a mysterious white powder on the plants."
The powder is being tested at a Dutch laboratory
on behalf of the Centre for Crop Circle Studies in
Drenten.
Ms. Musch said, "We're talking about a very unique
formation. This compares well with the big complexes
that have been found in England. This could be a hoax,
but the rye is unwalked upon. It's for certain that these
circles were made by an intelligent life form." (See the
Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad for July 11, 1997)
MONSTER REPORTEDLY SHOT
IN LAKE MANITOBA
On July 12, 1997, the Toronto Globe and Mail
reported, "People in communities around Lake Manitoba
(in Canada's Manitoba province, north of Winnipeg--J.T.)
are buzzing about a 15-metre (50 feet) snake-like
creature, with a head like a horse, that was supposedly
shot and spirited away under cover of darkness
recently."
Manipogo, as the monster in Lake Manitoba is
called, is commonly sighted during the summer months.
He made several appearances between 1960 and 1967,
mostly at Toutes Aides, Man. in the northwest corner
of the lake.
The shooting incident was first reported on Thursday,
July 10, at the Sandy Bay Indian Reserve, north of the
city of Portage La Prairie (population 12,535).
Manitoba ufologist Chris Rutkowski and two Fortean
researchers from Brandon, Man. investigated the case.
According to Rutkowski, he received a phone call,
informing him that "someone named R. on the Sandy
Bay Reserve had shot and killed 'a giant snake' near
Lake Manitoba. He said that many others had seen
this creature, and that its body was now being preserved
and awaiting examination by the authorities."
"I called my associates, Brian and Dave, in Brandon,
somewhat closer to Sandy Bay. They are avid Fortean
investigators, and I rely on them to investigate cases in
Western Manitoba."
"In the morning, I called the Sandy Bay RCMP
(Royal Canadian Mounted Police--J.T.) and spoke with
another officer who said she knew about the story but
that the duty sergeant was out at the time. It seems that
a tremendous thunderstorm was hitting the area and was
keeping the police busy with other problems."
From his calls, Rutkowski learned that a man named
Roulette "had been swathing hay on his lakeshore
property near a swamp when he saw a large snake-like
creature near the shore. He quickly dashed to his truck
for his rifle and shot the creature as it was rearing out of
the water."
"Roulette then dragged the monster's body out of the
water and ran to notify others of his find. According to
A., 'half the town' came out to view the creature, and
some took photographs of it. But the story gets better."
"As the tale goes, RCMP were called and came out
within a short time. They examined the carcass and
called for a large flatbed truck transport. Villagers
watched as the creature's body was loaded onto the
trailer and covered with a tarpaulin."
"As described by A., the creature was 50 feet in
length, with the diameter of a barrel and 'a head like a
horse.'"
"B. said he and A. went out at 1:30 a.m. that
morning to see if they could intercept the transport on
its journey southward...They said they saw a Westway
trailer leave the reserve and go south along the main
access road about that time."
Rutkowski tracked down another witness he calls
K., who told a radio station reporter "he had seen the
creature's body and that someone had indeed taken
photos." But K. had also "acted weird" and didn't want
to be interviewed.
Rutkowski also heard a radio interview with "Sgt. W."
of the Sandy Bay RCMP detachment, who reportedly
said his men "could not find any sign of a carcass on
the lakeshore. He said that he had been unable to
locate anyone who had seen the beast and that he
compared the story to that of a 'six-foot bird' (an
escaped emu--J.T.) which had been reported six weeks
ago in the area."
Meanwhile, Brian and Dave visited the Sandy Bay
reserve and spoke to several RCMP officers and
village residents. Rutkowski said, "They had come to
a conclusion. There had been no monster. What had
happened, in their view, was that there had been a major
drinking party along the lakeshore last night, and people
got a little drunk. It seems that there had been some
stories circulating during the past few weeks that
someone had in fact seen Manipogo, but wasn't
talking."
Sgt. Clayton Watts of the Sandy Bay RCMP told
the Canadian Press: "Everybody you talk to has a
different story."
But Rutkowski said that "a few things are still left
hanging. Why did the RCMP (first) tell Dave and Brian
that the case was legit? And what about the story that
someone really did see a lake monster earlier this
month?" (See the Toronto Globe and Mail for July 12,
1997. For the full text of Chris Rutkowski's report on
the Manipogo incident, see Swamp Gas Journal #8,
Special Report #6, July 1997.)
(Editor's Note: This isn't the first paranormal incident
at the Sandy Bay Indian Reserve. In August 1982,
Don Cunningham, a constable for the Lakota-Anishinabe
Tribal Council, his wife and his children spotted a
reddish-brown Bigfoot with some white fur on its head.
The creature left behind tracks measuring 16 inches
wide that 'looked like a human hand.)
from the UFO Files...
1909: AIRSHIP BUZZES A BEACH
IN NEW ZEALAND
Eighty-eight years ago, New Zealand was repeatedly
visited by UFOs, then known as "airships." Thanks to
New Zealand ufologist and longtime ROUNDUP reader
Murray Bott, we are able to present actual newspaper
stories from this little-known flap.
On Saturday night (July 24, 1909), some half dozen
boys were playing on the beach at Kaka Point near
Mr. Bates (residence) and saw a huge illuminated
object moving about in the air.
It appeared as if it was going to alight at Kaka
Point. The light from it was distinctly reflected on the
roof of Mr. Fitzgerald's cottage. They boys thought it
was being attracted by their lantern and left it on the
beach. The airship then glided around the rocks at
the old pilot station and nearly came in contact with
them. It shortly afterwards disappeared. The boys
said it was as big as a house.
On Sunday night (July 25, 1909) the mysterious
object again made its appearance at the beach and
was seen by Mr. George Smith and Mr. Poulter
about 8:30. Mr. Smith viewed it through a very powerful
night glass. It was apparently over Mr. Aitkenhead's
house when he first saw it, but it glided high in the air
and sailed north in the direction of Kaitangata,
swooping west and east and finally disappearing
over the horizon.
About 10:30 Mr. Smith was called out by Mr. Poulter
to see the airship which again had made its appearance.
This time it headed out to sea and eventually disappeared.
As seen through the glass, Mr. Smith said it appeared to
be a fair size, dark superstructure with a powerful
headlight and two smaller ones (lights) at the side.
(See the Clutha Leader of Balclutha, South Island, New
Zealand for July 27, 1909.)
Fun UFO Websites:
For a look at photos of the red-orange UFOs seen
at Congupna in Australia, check out Ross Dowe's site
at http://www.netlink.net.au/rossdowe/index.htm
Don't miss Minnesota MUFON's site. Joel Henry
keeps it up to date with news and features. They're at
http://www.wavefront.com/~jhenry/index.html
Not to be missed is our parent site, UFOINFO.
Check in at http://www.digiserve.com/ufoinfo/
And for back issues of UFO ROUNDUP, check us
out at http://www.digiserve.com/ufoinfo/roundup/
For our readers in Russia, enjoy International Chess
Day today. We'll be back next week with more saucer
news from "the paper that goes home--UFO ROUNDUP."
UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 1997 by Masinaigan
Productions, all rights reserved. Readers may post
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