The viewing took place from the home of Don Reimund who telephoned Prof. Maney at 8-20 p.m. Prof. Maney, and Reimund are acquaintances. Knowing of Prof. Maney's scientific activities in this field, Reimund excitedly described the sighting of a strange aerial object, observed from his residence on
Canal Road , one half mile south of the city limits. Mr. Reimund had witnessed the movements of this object for some 20 minutes up to the time of the phone call.Upon learning that the object was still visible in the sky, Prof. Maney, accompanied by Mrs. Maney, drove at once to the Reimund residence. Upon his arrival, Prof. Maney learned that the object had just disappeared from view in the southwest. Present in the front yard of the Reimund residence were Mr. and Mrs. Don Reimund, their daughter, Fern, 9, neighbors of the Reimunds, Mr. and Mrs. Dick Grunden, besides Professor and Mrs. Maney.
As Mr. Reimund began supplying details of the sighting to Prof. Maney, the strange aerial object appeared again in the southwest, at an altitude of approximately 20 degrees and was moving horizontally toward the north.
The object was distinctive for its brilliant fiery, blue color. Prof. Maney observed the object along with the others with unaided vision, as well as with binoculars of seven magnification for some ten minutes as it traveled northward approximately 40 degrees. The brilliant blue light of the object ruled out the possibility of it being any well-know object such as a plane or meteor, Prof. Maney said.
Prof. Maney, after observing the moving blue light for three or four minutes, turned the binoculars over to one of the other observers. He momentarily lost sight of the object, but when a minute later he again discovered the object through the binoculars it had changed color to a very brilliant yellow. Most of those present observed this change in color.
Presently, the object stopped, hovered for five or six seconds, and then reversed its direction, travelling southward.
At times it seemed to move very rapidly and then again it would hover, apparently motionless. The object kept travelling southward, getting closer to the horizon, becoming fainter until it disappeared in the southwest at about 9 p.m. This second sighting, witnessed by Prof. Maney and the group, lasted some 30 minutes.
During the time of the sighting flights of both jet and propeller-driven planes were also observed from west to east. The flashing red and green lights of the propeller planes as well as the jets with their trails presented far different pictures, and were in distinct contrast to the fiery light of the UFO.
Mr. Reimund described the first sighting witnessed by him before the Maneys arrived. He first noticed the object at 8 p.m.
The object was obviously nearer to the observer in this first sighting, as Mr. Reimund described it as distinctly round in shape. It was moving horizontally from the northwest, about 10 degrees above the horizon, was a brilliant blue when first observed, then changed to a bright orange, then dull in color, until it disappeared in the southwest at 8:22 p.m.
At one point in its path it suddenly swerved in direction, moving in a path 30 degrees below the horizon, then again swerving back, to resume a lower horizontal path. Mr. Reimumd said that for about two diameters back of the object there was a gap, followed by a vaguely defined trail of some five diameters in length.
It is possible that this same UFO phenomenon was observed by other persons in addition to the seven at the Reimund residence. If so, Prof. Maney would greatly appreciate receiving information from those persons to supplement the observations by the seven.
In considering this account of the sighting, given by Prof. Maney he wishes to emphasize certain points:
1. The account is given with as much detail and with as much accuracy as possible without the aid of scientific instruments for measuring and recording purposes.
2. No effort is made to interpret the phenomenon except to point out that it differs from everyday observations of known objects.
3. It's recognized that clever pranksters have occasionally fooled the public by performing aerial maneuvers with unusual lights and other devices.
4. The sighting described does in a few respects reproduce patterns of performance associated with well-authenticated sightings.
These include the following:
5. A number of prominent scientists have gone on record in recording sightings of strange aerial phenomena somewhat of the character of the one here described.
6. This sighting, though interesting in some respects, does not give sufficient detail to classify it as clearly a non-recognizable phenomenon. It is to be pointed out, however, that a number of well-authenticated photographs and other physical evidence have established the reality of unusual aerial phenomena of apparently non-terrestrial origin, Prof. Maney concluded.