A Mysterious Light.

News de New Castle (Pennsylvanie), 4 mai 1898 s1Clark, J. E.: "nocturnal light, Pennsylvania, 1898", Magonia Exchange, 9 janvier 2007

Just about dark Monday evening [May 2] a gentleman standing in front of the Pearson building was scanning the heavens for signs of rain when he suddenly exclaimed: "What's that?" Looking in the direction indicated by the man's index finger, bystanders were surprised to see a strange light, floating apparently just below the clouds. The light, when first noticed, was coming from a southwesterly direction. It moved very slowly and it was probably 5 minutes before it disappeared in the north east.

During this time a large crowd was attracted and many and various were the speculations as to what it meant. George M. Permar ventured the opinion that it was an airship, probably making a trial trip. There were many others present who thought it was an air ship. One man ventured the opinion that it was Prof. Leonard's dynamite ship and that he was making a test of its sailing qualities before destroying Havana. [This sighting occurred during the short-lived Spanish-American War.]

A NEWS reporter asked Prothonotary A. S. Love, one of the spectators, what he thought the light meant. "I do not know," said he. "I never saw anything like it before." The light was almost as bright as an arc light. If it was attached to an air ship[,] none of the ship was visible, but this is hardly to be wondered at considering its great height. One man considered the light a good omen of the war with Cuba. He said that it meant that the war would not be prolonged, but that our arms would speedily be successful. One or two advanced the theory that the light might be attached to a paper balloon, but this idea was generally ridiculed, as no one had ever seen a light on a balloon of that kind so bright or to continue burning so long. It was certainly one of the strangest sights witnessed here for many a day, and among the superstitious it will probably cause a great deal of uneasiness.