The Mysterious “Cloud-Skimmers” Of 1896

THE MYSTERIOUS “CLOUD-SKIMMERS” OF 1896

Tales of “Sea Serpents” trickled into the ports of the Pacific Coast, and widely printed in the San Francisco papers in the summer of 1896.[1] “The serpent seemed to have an almost human look,” it was said, “and its face closely resembled that of an ape.”[2] Sightings were reported as late as the middle of October 1896. When Captain Miller of the steam-schooner Navarro arrived in San Francisco harbor from the Clipperton Islands, he told tales of a school of sea serpents. “Probably on their way from their spawning grounds in the un-sailed southern seas,” said the doughty captain, “to haunts off the coast for next summer’s outing season.”[3] This horror was soon superseded.

“Strange Craft Of The Sky.”[4]

Five months before H.G. Wells’ first installment of “War Of The Worlds” appeared in Pearson’s Magazine (U.K) and The Cosmopolitan (U.S.) mysterious ships appeared over the skies of America.[5] The first reports of the mysterious “cloud-skimmers” over California trickled in during late October 1896.^[6] The greatest cluster of sightings, however, occurred in November of that year. Most of the witnesses were sober-minded men and women the papers asserted; a man in Sacramento said that these “cloud skimmers” appeared as a “dark mass” with “red lights” and moved up and down in the sky.[7]

On November 18, 1896, The San Francisco Call was tipped off that a strange craft was sailing in the sky that was “oblong and egg-shaped, with fan-like wheels on either side, whose rapid revolutions, beating the air, served to propel the vessel directly against the wind.” Midway of the vessel and suspended directly beneath it was a brilliant searchlight that was twice the size of an arc light.[8] The first person to witness this, as far as could be ascertained, was David Carl, a horse-trainer, who saw it hovering close to the ground. Another witness, T.P. de Long, stated: “All I could see was a brilliant light moving seemingly against the wind, but I could hear the voices of the occupants, who were singing, and it sounded to me like the noise produced by a phonograph.”

 “The Mysterious Flying Light.”[9]

On November 23, one was seen floating over San Leandro, moving rapidly (at least twenty miles an hour,) and shooting across the skies in the northwest before turning quickly and darting off toward Haywards. There it was seen by a conductor of the Alameda Electric Line who said he saw the airship over Fruitville. It had a powerful headlight, he said, and several smaller lights on board. The passengers on the streetcar said it had the distinct outlines of an airship (which resembled a huge bird in its appearance) and seemed to “rise and fall in its course.” It emitted a brilliant stream of light, they said and maneuvered high above the sky over Haywards. A great many citizens stayed up late into the night to watch for the appearance of such a vessel. Some stood on roofs (and other elevated places,) even in the rain, late into the night, hoping to catch a glimpse of it.”[10] More sightings occurred throughout the days ahead. The body was at least a hundred feet long, and attached to it was a triangular tail, the apex being attached to the main body. The exterior appeared to be made of aluminum, “which exposure to wind and weather had turned dark.” It looked like a “black cigar with a fish-like tail” residents said, and if it had side propellers, “they were revolving so rapidly [they] could not see them.”[11]

“Winged Ship In The Sky.”[12]

CITATIONS

[1] “They Captured A Real Sea Serpent.” The San Francisco Call And Post. (San Francisco, California) June 28, 1896; “Sea Serpent Caught In Quatsine.” The San Francisco Examiner. (San Francisco, California) September 20, 1896.

[2] “Another Real Sea Serpent.” The San Francisco Call And Post. (San Francisco, California) August 2, 1896.

[3] “Capture A Monster In The South Seas.” The San Francisco Chronicle. (San Francisco, California) October 11, 1896.

[4] “Strange Craft Of The Sky.” The San Francisco Call And Post. (San Francisco, California) November 19, 1896.

[5] Wells, H. G. “War Of The Worlds.” Pearson’s Magazine. Vol. III, No. 4 (April 1897): 363-373; Wells, H. G. “War Of The Worlds.” The Cosmopolitan. Vol. XXII, No. 6 (April 1897): 615-627.

[6] “Saw The Mystic Flying Light.” The San Francisco Call And Post. (San Francisco, California) November 22, 1896.

[7] “Queer Things You See When—A Mysterious Wanderer Of The Skies Perplexes People.” The San Francisco Call Examiner. (San Francisco, California) November 23, 1896.

[8] “Strange Craft Of The Sky.” The San Francisco Call And Post. (San Francisco, California) November 19, 1896.

[9] “Saw The Mystic Flying Light.” The San Francisco Call And Post. (San Francisco, California) November 22, 1896.

[10] “The Apparition In The Air.” The San Francisco Call And Post. (San Francisco, California) November 24, 1896.

[11] “Saw The Airship.” The San Francisco Call And Post. (San Francisco, California) December 2, 1896.

[12] “Winged Ship In The Sky.” The San Francisco Call And Post. (San Francisco, California) November 23, 1896.