PRESS CU TING:
From: The Standard , Wellington 1852 .
Date: 5.11.52.
"FLYING SAUCER" REPORT CAUSED STIR IN 1909
THE "flying saucer" stories inevitably recall the "phantom airship" stories that caused great excitement in N.Z. 43 years ago.
It all began with reports of lights having been seen moving across the sky, but public interest was not really aroused until in July, 1909, it was reported that some school children and others at Kelso in Otago had seen in the air "a strange machine which they described as shaped like a boat, with what seemed like the figure of a man seated in it. The airship approached from the direction of the Blue Mountains, circled high over the school and then disappeared in the direction whence it had come."
Immediately afterwards a story came from Auckland about "the appearance of a peculiar light hovering in the sky in the direction of East Tamaki." It was thought to have been an airship and in support of this theory was the fact two residents of Auckland had constructed a flying machine which they had tried in several flights.
After this reports of the mysterious,airship having been sighted came from many parts of the Dominion, from Southland, from North Otago, from the West Coast and from Christchurch, among others. Some people, who said they had seen it flying over North Otago, described it as "shaped like a boat with a flat top," and according to a report from Southland the body of the airship "resembled that of a whale."
As the stories about the "phantom airship" multiplied even credulous people began to doubt their truth. There were too many airships altogether. The sky appeared to be swarming with them.
In 1909 man was beginning his conquest of the air. It was in July, 1909, that Bleriot flew the English Channel. In Germany Zeppelin was experimenting with his dirigibles, and in England a Dr Boyd had built an airship in secret and flown it to Ireland. Prior to this flight there were reports from various parts of Britain of a mysterious airship having been seen at night.
All this would seem to be sufficient to account for New Zealand's "phantom airship," the "flying saucer" of 1909.—J.W.
Date The above press cutting is forwarded for your information