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Page ID (PID)
MAXW-PBB7-1037
Collection
NARA-Maxwell
Page 1037 of 1713
Roll Description
Maxwell Blue Book 7
Document Code
N/A
MAXW-PBB7-1035
MAXW-PBB7-1036
MAXW-PBB7-1037
MAXW-PBB7-1038
MAXW-PBB7-1039
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Page Text
THIS PACE IS UNCLASSIFIED I '' \ * \ .. \ * \ I1 I , i / '' . *"- c- "v. \ i STATE" Newspaper iO " Columbia, u. Carolina 29 December 1949 StratqprCraft Is Reported Seen in TSC llarr.let. N. C. Drc. 28-(AP)A strnnRe unidentified aircraft, re-i sembling a hulloon or a blimp, was) reportedly flying "rriatirully" over Hamlet today, apparently out of control. \ Several residents. Including two pilots, gave various reports of the t craft, as "heading straight .|down'' and'' leveling off," and "turning over.1! One observer said he thought he sjiw something resembling a man dron from the craft and one; pilot, who chasrd II in a aliplane. snld It appeared to be Irom 20 to, 30 fret in dlamPier. Jl was first repoilrd flying west over town at about 4:43 p. m. by Dr. \\\ D. James of Hamlet and Fire Chief J. C. Worley. They re- ported the object to the local air- port where an overseas news cor- respondent, Phillip Gibbons, took off In a light plane to give chase. Gibbons, a former Air Force pilot, said he saw the craft only once, from the air and that It definitely was < not "saucer shnped." He said he wuJ unable to over- take it but that from a distance It , appeared to he a1 large motnl hall without tiny external fittings such'' as are ordinarily curried by free halloons. Although observers suid the (.inft did not seem to have much speed from the- ground, Gib- hons reported It quickly dlsappeai- ed in the sun when he drew near. The newsman said he last ''saw It about i2 miles southwest ol here. The weather station at Charlotte said there wus some possibility that the object might have been a radio sonde bitllbon such as are released by weMher stutluns. The hallonty are used In transmit wi-nther dnln from tin1 aimot>pheie, imd ordinur- lly luir.si at luuli altitude, iliu indio, ''Puv-iihuiiiiK1 liuck to eurili. llow- vjr, the weather slut ion suld t^u- f)me thul it wus seen over Hamilei In late atlernoontended to yla- count thli(theory. , Glbboni'' said that from hla air force service he, was familiar with these balloons and that the ittange craft did not reiemble one. "It was much bigger," he uald. , \ \ i i J__I ES''G. BAKER FAO H I S P A G , E I S U ''.- N G ^ L A S , S I . F I , E
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Page 1037 of 1713