Observations à Gingercake Mountain

Station B, on Gingercake Mountain, is about 500 feet higher than station A, and the arc over which the lights are visible is correspondingly increased. Brown Mountain covers about half of this arc. The fellow observers at station B were Joseph Loven and Robert Ward. On the evening of April 1, the mist in the valley was so dense that only one observation could be made--the one on line 6, which is ascribed to an automobile on the State highway near Drexel. The highway runs for some distance nearly parallel with the railroad.

The conditions for observation on the night of April 2, though poor, were more favorable than on the preceding night, and sights 7 to 16, inclusive, were recorded on the corresponding lines. At 7:35 a light appeared over Brown Mountain on line 7. This line, when extended, coincides practically with the track of the Southern Railway about half a mile west of Catawba station. The station agent reports that on April 2 a westbound train left Catawba at 7:32 p.m. It is therefore clear that the source of this light was a locomotive headlight. At 7:45 and 8:55 lights flared out over the south end of Brown Mountain on lines 8 and 12, respectively. When corrected these observations fell on the same line, near the station
Drexel. A report from the station agent shows that westbound freight trains on the Southern Railway left Drexel at the times specified. Lights 9, 10, ll, 14, and 15 are ascribed to automobiles.

Throughout the evening a light, one of a small group, was seen on line 13. Its position remained the same, but it flared at longer or shorter intervals. Between the flares it could be dimly seen with the naked eye. As corrected, the position of this source of light seemed to fall near the dam at the foot or tne Dig reservoir on Linville River, not shown on the map. Train No.35, a westbound passenger train on the Southern Railway, is due at Connelly Springs at 12:25 a.m. The writer decided to remain on watch until the time for that train in order to get answers to two questions: First, could the headlight at Connelly Springs be seen from the Gingercake Mountain station over Brown Mountain, and second, if the headlight could be seen, would it look like the true Brown Mountain light? Accordingly, about 10 minutes before train time the telescopic alidade was directed toward the curved track about a mile east of Connelly Springs. All observers then waited for the train. At 12:33 a light flared over Brown Mountain and was seen in the telescope on line 16. Though the train was 8 minutes behind its schedule all observers were convinced that the light seen was the headlight of train No.35. To the writer it looked much like the other lights that Mr. Loven had called the Brown Mountain light on this and on preceding evenings. Mr. Loven himself declared that it looked like the Brown Mountain light, though he thought it had a slightly more bluish tint. Upon later examination of the train register at Connelly Springs it was found that train No.35 had arrived at the station at 12:35. Allowing for the time required for the train to run from the curve to the station at Connelly Springs the train register may be confidently regarded as verifying the observation.

On this night, as on the first night, all the lights seen looked much alike, though some of the flares were brighter than others. Mr. Loven was asked several times if he felt satisfied that the lights seen by the party were actually the Brown Mountain light. He replied that he was satisfied and that it was a fair average exhibition.

On April 3 station C was established at Blowing Rock, at an elevation of about 3,700 feet. Although not so high as the station on Gingercake Mountain, this station commands a wide, sweeping view of the country to the south, a view through nearly a quarter of a circle, but Brown Mountain occupies only a small part of this space. The moon was shining brightly, but a heavy mist overhung the valley and completely obscured Brown Mountain. H. C. Martin, of Lenoir, was present during part of the time of observation and Robert Ward, of Morganton, during the whole time.

A steady group of lights was dimly visible most of the evening on lines 17 and 18. These lights were reddish and were accompanied by what appeared to be smoke. These lights appeared to originate on a ridge north of Mulberry Creek. Their smoky appearance suggests that they came from brush fires.

At 8:35 a reddish light appeared on line 19. It flared brightly twice and then, as seen by the unaided eye, apparently went out, but it continued for a time to show dimly in the telescope. The line of sight corrected for curvature and refraction clears by a short distance the mountain mass at the county line and falls near a curve of the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio Railway about a mile southeast of Sprucepine. No agent is on duty at Sprucepine at night, and thus far the writer has been unable to learn whether or not there was a southbound train on the track there at the time noted. Mr. Martin said that the light on line 19 looked very much like the Brown Mountain light but that it was too far to the right. When questioned as to wherein the two differed. he replied that in the first place the light was not seen over Brown Mountain and second, it did not trail off laterally or obliquely as the Brown Mountain light usually did.

At 9:05 a light flared on line 20. The source of the light was determined to be in the streets of Lenoir. There were no northbound trains that night; so the light probably came from an automobile headlight. On the night of April 4, on account of unfavorable conditions, only one observation (No.21) was obtained. This was ascribed to a locomotive headlight.

With the exception of lights 17 and 18, ascribed to brush fires, the lights seen from Blowing Rock were practically indistinguishable in general character and appearance from those that were seen at Loven's and at Gingercake Mountain and that were said by Mr. Loven to be the Brown Mountain light. A lady at Blowing Rock declared that on a clear evening "you could go out on the hill and see lights popping out allover the valley, all looking as much alike as so many peas in a pod." Mr. Martin, on the other hand, said that the Brown Mountain light had distinctive features and that the party had not seen it on either evening. The principal distinctive feature indicated appears to be the lateral or oblique motion above referred to.