Strange Ice Parade, Strange But True

Blocks of ice in perfect lines strung across the south end of Utah Lake. Hundreds of yards long and the same distance from each other. Not cut out by fisherman. Hundreds of blocks were in a perfect pattern. Very, very strange.

- From Adam Valdez

Ball Lightning: Unexplained Phenomena

On July 5, 1852, a Periason man reported an extraordinary event. While sitting in his living room chair, a bright ball of light descended down his chimney and emerged from the fireplace. The fireball, about the size of a basketball, hesitated slightly and then darted towards him ‘like a cat’. He quickly withdrew his feet and the object slithered back into the center of the living room. He watched in dismay as the flaming ball of light disappeared back into the fireplace, rose up the chimney, and exploded, severely damaging the top of the chimney.

Although scientists quickly dismissed the incident as a ‘wild imagination’, hundreds more reports of similar sightings continued to flood authorities around the world, some accompanied by photographs attesting to the events.

At 6:30p.m., on October 08, 1919, dozens of people in Salina, Kansas reported a ‘ball of fire as large as a washtub floating low in the air’. The inexplicable object, seen at a busy downtown intersection, caused quite a bit of commotion when it struck the side of a building, tearing off chunks of brick and shattering windows on the second floor. At the moment of impact the fireball exploded into dozens of additional fireballs which floated away in all directions. These newly born ‘mini fireballs’ snaked along electrical wires, followed trolleys, and themselves caused additional damage. One exploded on a transformer causing a blackout.

Scientific Evidence

Most scientists scoff at these reports claiming there could be no rational explanations for the phenomena. One reason they site is that a ball of lightening as witnesses have described as lasting up to one minute ‘would require an energy content so high that there is no known way for it to be formed’. Some scientists claim that witnesses are simply seeing 'after images' of lightening strikes or possibly St. Elmo’s Fire (St. Elmo’s Fire, a corona discharge from a object extended above the ground during an electrical storm, differs from ball lightening in that St. Elmo’s Fire must move along a conductor and cannot float freely above the ground as ball lightening does).

So while scientists dismiss the anomaly, reports continue to flood authorities. In the spring of 1963, R.C. Jennison, a professor of electrical energy, experienced this strange aberration firsthand. While on a flight from New York to Washington, Mr. Jennison witnessed a ball lightening globe first outside the aircraft and was astounded when it passed through the airliner’s hull into the inside of the craft. "Microwave, electric, radio, or heat energy - all of these figure in the various theories - could not have gotten through the metal fuselage."

A viable explanation for ball lightening continues to elude scientists.

Ghosts Lights: Unexplained Phenomena

Early Reports

In 1656, John Davis of Cardinshire, Wales recorded some of the earliest historical evidence of ghost lights. In this small town in Northern Wales, ghost light sightings were quite common and believed to portend the death of someone in their town. The lights were witnessed around homes, in the open air, and occasionally inside their homes. A small light represented the death of a child, a large light the death of an adult. Davis noted a ghost light sighting by his wife’s sister who had observed five lights inside her bedroom. That night five of their servants died of suffocation in what was only described as ‘a freak accident.’ These strange lights are still reported in present day Wales.

Sightings of ghost lights have been reported since the beginning of recorded history. Ghost lights differ from phenomena such as ball lightening in that they usually appear regularly over a period of time. They may quite well be some sort of natural phenomena although they are frequently associated with apparitions of the dead.

Possibilities

The exact cause of ghost lights is not known. Some scientists believe it may be some sort of luminous energy, a product of subterranean process. Although there is a scant supply of theories, there certainly is no shortage of sightings. Some places such as Marfa, Texas (the Marfa Lights) and Magantor, North Carolina (home of the Brown Mountain Lights) receive so many reportings that officials do not even bother recording the incidents. In Texas, the Texas Highway Department set up a roadside park and official observation area for persons seeking to witness the Marfa Lights phenomena.

The Brown Mountain Lights, first reported by a group of fishermen in 1913, are regularly seen just above the horizon almost every night. They have been described as looking ‘much like a toy fire balloon, a distinct ball, with no atmosphere about it, and very red.’

Geological researchers have speculated that ghost lights may be caused by brush fires, anchored lights, car headlights, and even fireflies. But they cannot explain some of the reported anomalies characteristics such as color (often glowing red or green), random movements, or odd auroras. Others still associate ghost lights with more uncanny causes.

Conclusion

Over 300 years ago, Nathaniel Crouch wrote in The English Empire in America (1685) that the Indians have ‘a remarkable observation of flame that appears before the death of an Indian or English upon their wigwams in the dead of night; I was called out once about twelve a clock and plainly perceived it mounting into the air over a church. You may certainly expect a dead corpse in two or three days’…

The Canvey Island Monster: Unexplained Creature

The Discovery

In August of 1954, a man stumbled upon a strange, lifeless creature covered in seaweed on the shores of Canvey Island, Great Britain. After carefully examining the animal, he was certain it was unlike any creature he had ever seen. It appeared to be a marine animal but strangely exhibited some land-bearing animal characteristics - it had feet and legs!

Two zoologists were called in to make a professional evaluation of the creature. Photographs were taken of the animal which must have stood around 2 1/2 feet tall with 5 toes arranged in a 'U' shape and a concave arch. It had thick, brownish skin and two protruding eyes. They agreed that this was some unknown species of animal. Unfortunately, after examining the animal, the zoologists took it upon themselves to create the creature.

Second Animal Found

Less than 3 months latter, in November of 1954, Reverend Joseph Overs stumbled upon another one of the creatures about 2 miles from the location of the first creature's discovery. It appeared basically the same as the first creature only a little larger (and in better condition). This one stood around 4 feet tall. They estimated that it weighed about 25 pounds. It had the same 2 large eyes, nostrils, sharp teeth, and gills. An like the first creature, it had legs and feet.

To date, the origin of this species remains unknown...

Real Ghost Photo: Ghost Face Apparition

"My name is Ron Southwell and I have a weird photo that I would like your opinion on. It was taken with a brand new digital camera, Olympus model FE 210 with a brand new xd memory card. So I was playing with the camera settings and trying the candlelight setting. I was sitting on the couch about 5 feet from the subject and took the photo that I have attached to this email. It was night time and only a few of the lights were on in the room as well as the large screen tv which was directly infront of my subject about 12 feet away. The flash was used.

After taking the picture I checked it using the view screen and was kind of amazed to see another figure in the image in the lower left hand corner of the picture. It looks like a man’s face but I just have no explanation for how it got there. I had taken a few photos using the camera that day and then erased them from the memory but none of the photos were of a man’s face.

The face does not resemble anyone that was in the apartment. There was only myself and my sister in the room at the time and she was holding her 6 month old baby."

  
   
  

Real Ghost Photo: Dead Old Lady in the Window

This is a photograph that was taken by a friends son. Adam was working for a roofing outfit from Tremont, Illinois Koch Construction. He snapped this photograph with his camera phone. The story he told me was that they were hired to roof the house by the new owners. According to him, the lady who lived there had passed away nearly three months before. They had been working on the house for two days and had seen no one there.

 
 

Real Ghost Photo: Watertown Ghosts

The case of the SS Watertown is a classic example of what many believe to be an authentic ghost photograph. The story, as recounted by the eminent and long-time director of the American Psychical Institute, Dr. Hereward Carrington, and as detailed in the house magazine of the shipping company, told of the tanker, SS Watertown making its way through the Pacific Ocean in December 1924.

Seaman James Courtney and Michael Meehan were assigned to clean out a cargo tank. While doing this task they were overcome by gas fumes and died before help could reach them. Following the tradition of the sea, their bodies were committed to the ocean on December 4th. The following day, just before dusk, the entire ship was in uproar when the heads of the two dead seamen were clearly seen on board ship and, later, in the sea. Thereafter the ghost faces were frequently seen.

A snapshot was taken and the camera, with film intact and untouched inside, was handed to Captain Keith Tracy for safekeeping. On reaching port in New Orleans the Captain handed the camera over to officials of the Cities Services Company and they sent it directly to their New York office, where the film was developed and printed by a commercial photographer, and there were the heads of Courtney and Meehan, exactly as they had been seen on board ship!