SAW THE MYSTIC FLYING LIGHT Oaklanders Who Believe an Airship Hovered Over Them. Say That They Saw a Dark Body Above the It Was Headed for San Francisco and Seemed About to Come to Earth. OAKtAND Office San Francisco Call 908 Broadway, Nov. 21. 'f Some one must be operating an airship in this portion of the State. Twice within the past six weeks it has been seen by reliable residents of Oakland, and on each occasion it has presented the same appearance. Six weeks aeo a young lady was riding a wheel on Telegraph avenue, when she saw a strange-looKing object in the sky. It The Mysterious Flying; Light That Hovered Over St. Mary's College, Oakland, and Then Started for San Francisco. It Is Exactly Like That Described by Sacramentans, and Similar to the Cut Published a Few Days Ago in "The Call" From a Description Furnished by One "Who Saw It. carried a powerful headlight, sufficiently strong to send out long bright rays into the darkness. It appeared to be going in a westerly direction and teemed to be gradually descending as disappeared over St. Mary's College. She reported the affair to her brother, wbo is a motorman on the cemetery branch of the Piedmont road. Last night a little after 5 o'clock, as a crowded car was going out toward Piedmont, tbe attention of the passengers was attracted to a peculiar-looking contrivance high up in the sky. The most peculiar feature of it was a powerful headlight and another light which seemed to be in the bottom of the machine and to shine directly on the earth. It came into view from the direction of East Oakland, passed over Piedmont, and according to the story of the passengers neemed to descend in such a manner as to indicate that it would land somewhere in ban Francisco. Many of the passengers tooK up their morning newspapers tn-day expecting to see a full description of the peculiar object that they bad seen so plainly, and were surprised and disappointed to find no report whatever of it. They were so convinced that it must have landed across the bay that some of them telephoned to San Francisco last night and made inquiries regarding it. As nothing was known it it is presume i that it mutt have changed its couise and landed somewhere else, for nothing can persuade those who saw it that ii was not a genuine airship under full control. All those who saw this strange object agree in its description and declare that it closely resembles the illustration that appeared in The Call last Thursday of the airs-hip that scores of people witnessed as it passed over Sacramento last Wednesday niebt. Borne of tbt-m saw the propelling arras and declare that they vfere in motion, but all are positive that the machine was brilliantly lighted, and that the lower light shed a Urge arc on the earth as it pushed over, while the headlignt could be seen for a great distance ahead of the machine. One of the most mystified observers of the airship was Charles H. Eliis, the armore' of Companies A and F. Mr. Eilis is a middle-aged man and very deliberate in his manner of expression, and one not likely to be easily deceived. He declared this evening that he was as skeptical as a man could be when he first read about the Sacramento airship. He also declares that be had no alternative bat to believe his own eyesi ht. "I was going home to my dinner about hall-pasts last night," ha said, "and was in tbe neighborhood of Twenty-fourth street and New Broadway, when I saw a strange-looking thing ir the sky. It was coming from tne eastward and at first I could see nothing but a bright light When I first saw it the two lights appeared to be one and 1 thought it was a brilliant meteor. It was getting dusk, but the sky was clouded and just dark enough to permit anyone to see plainly. The sky was sufficiently dark to mate a background which would render any such object visible. "As it came nearer 1 could see that there was some dark object along with the light. When it was nearly overhead I could clearly distinguish that it bornewhat resembled a balloon traveling end on, witb a bright Heht ahead, another one beneath it, and witu what uppeared to be wings both before and behind tbe light. It was at a great height above 'the probably a thousand feet, but not so high as to make it impossible to distinguish what it was. I did not want to believe that it was an airship, as I bad regarded the report of one in the light of a joke. This time, however, I had no alternative. 1 had to believe what I saw. "As soon as it passed over Bt. Mary's College, it appeared to descend gradually, but regularly, as though under perfect control, and it disappeared in the direction of San Francisco. Of course it was too dark and the machine was too far away to distinguish anything like people or to hear any sounds such as were heard in Sacramento. But there is no doubt in my mind that it was an airship supplied witb electric lignts and well manned." Another witness to the visit of the airship is Selby Yost, a motorman of the Piedmont road and a member of the Oakland Guard. He was a little behind time and was taking bis car toward Piedmont, trying to recover the few minutes he was behind. As he Thirtieth street, a 11; tie boy stood in the road ana cried, "Jee whiz, what's that?" The passengers heard it and immediately looked at tbe direction in the sky toward which the boy was pointing. They nad no difficulty in 6eeinc the airship. I looked ahead," said Mr. Yost to-day, "I was mystified, and I may as well confess I was. I didn't like to admit to myself that I had suddenly pone crazy, but really for a moment I did wonder if my senses had deserted me. The passengers all reached out to look overhead, and inside wanted to what those outside were gazing at; so when they requested me to stop the car that they raieht all look I was practically forced to oblige them. They got out in the road and looked up at the airship, the most surprised crowd lever saw in my life. There it was, sure enough, ripht overhead, and traveling on at a good rate, with its light blazing away, and the most uucannylooking thing I ever caw. "Airship or anything else, it was the remarkable-looking object, and I am at a loss now to convince myself that I actually saw iv It was altogether a wonderful sight, and nobody could have ever made me believe that I would ever see such a thing. It was perfectly clear, and not only I but all the passengers saw it and watched it till it disappeared. I thought it must have landed across the bay, and I was somewhat surprised this morning to see that no mention was made of it in the papers. 1 would really like to have that thing found, so that I could satisfy myself as to how it worked, for a more interesting thing I have never Been." Miss Hagstrom, who resides on Telegraph avenue, saw the same object about six weeks ago. The feature that impressed her most was the bright light which she distinctly saw. On returning home, she told her brother of whit she had seen, but nothing more was thought of it until she read recently that a similar object had been seen in anoiner part of the State. Charles Uagstrom, the brother of trie young lady who witnessed this queer object in the sky, is also in the employ of the Piedmont and Mountain View Railways. my sister first told me what she bad seen I treated it as a joke," he said tnis evening, "and place i little credence in her stury, believing that she had seen nothing more mysterious than a falling star or me cor. Wlien I heard tbe same thing had been seen elsewhere, last Week, and heard again last night of wnat was seen in this Dart of town, I am now convinced that my sister saw the same I have talKed to several people to-day who witnessed the object last night, and they are all confident that it was nothing more nor less than a genuine airship." W. J. Roada and his wif whe reside at a grocery store at 2042 Broadway, were al'-o witnesses to the strange aerial visitor. we tirst saw it," aid Mrs. Rodda to-night, "we thought it was a balloon, and if it were not tor the bright light I should stiU bn inclined to think it was a peculiarly snaked bailoon, but I never knew of a balloon to carry bright lights and travel at nighttime the way that did. I could not see any fans myself, but others say that they most undoubtedly saw tUe propellers which sent tbe thing along. As it passed over it angied downward, and if it kept on in the same direction it should have landed somewhere across tne bay. lat once concluded tliat it was the same machine that had been seen in Sacramento. 1 believe that airships will be brought to perfection, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to hear that some one had already built a practical machine of that kind and was operating with it in tins neighborhood." Many of the passengers on Yo9t's car live out at Piedmont, and all are of the opinion that they saw a real air-hip. An Oakland artist who crosses to San Francisco every day said this evening that tbe airship was seen irom Golden Gate Park yesterday afternoon. I was coming home last night," he said, "in company with a friend who had been out to Golden Gate Park. He told me that he and others bad seen an airship during; the evening and that it closely resembled the P'cture of the one published in The Call. He said that tney tried to explain it by all kinds of means, but they came to the conclusion that it was the same machine. It was dusk when they aaw it and the remarkaole brilliancy of tie lights on it a tructed their attntion. I shouldn't have thought any more of it, but to-day in this city I heard several paopie discussing it." It is tbe prevalent opinion that some one in Alameda or neighboring counties has solved the problem of flying in the air, and has been for some weeks putting bis experiment to a practical test. SAILED HIGH OFEEHEAD. Kind of Air Craft seen by a Man Kear Zuiarei TULARE, Nov. 21 That airship is cavorting through the atmosphere that overhangs this vicinity. D. H. Risdon, who was working in an orchard near Tazus, four miles north of this place, sighted a object passing over at a considerate elevation yesterday afternoon. A tramp was near at the time, aud remarke.i i
