1880 very descriptive UFO sighting

There's a little bit of interesting media here. Only a picture and a small movie, but something to start with.

Let me add a couple of things. First, any seasoned sailor knows about marine life that glows in the dark. They knew about it in the 1800's.

Second, the OP's article implies that the person who reported it had to add names of other witnesses.

That is almost the same thing as saying "No! I am NOT crazy! Even (insert name of important official here) saw it too!!!"

It implies that what was seen was so unusual that to convey this to others would make you appear to be crazy, drunk or on drugs.

The person who reported the sighting was aware he would be viewed this way.


Lastly, I grew up in Florida, my best friend's father owned a fleet of fishing boats, I spent my summers with him and his dad in the deep sea. I have seen phospherescent waves.

They DO NOT make perfect rotating circles that follow your ship for 20 minutes.

Just saying ....

EDITED TO ASK: Is Bill Moore a member of these forums? Of Charles Berlitz fame?

If so - PM me, I know your son.



[edit on 6-9-2010 by GeisterFahrer]

reply to post by Hefficide


I've seen the pics. Chad put up some good vids even..

But none show what appears to be reported in the OPs thread..
There are however unsubstantiated reports of similar events.

reply to post by CynicalM


I don't really think a 'skeptic' would care that much if it didn't happen, but there isn't much of a reason to doubt it. In contrast with alien aircrafts as explanation.

reply to post by CynicalM


Yes, the photos allude to what it could "reasonably be".

However, the photos and vids do not depict what was reported in the OP's article. What was described is not something "reasonable".

Poiseidon's wheels are recognized as glowing marine life. A sailor would recognize that immediately. However, when the glow is gliding above the surface, and rotating ..... its not marine life causing it. Just my opinion.

Even Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote about glowing marine life .... it was common knowledge.

What would compel a seasoned (??) sailor to inquire about glowing marine life if it was common knowledge that glowing marine life caused what he saw?

reply to post by -PLB-

I don't really think a 'skeptic' would care that much if it didn't happen, but there isn't much of a reason to doubt it. In contrast with alien aircrafts as explanation.

Are you saying a skeptic wouldn't lie (or present less than perfect proof) but others would??

Hmm, ok..

reply to post by GeisterFahrer


So you think all those reports are lies, except for the one in the OP? The reports are very similar, in some cases more extraordinary than the one in the OP. For example, one talks about the light being 2 meter above the sea level. There are very detailed descriptions including the speed, the size, the shape, the color and the duration of the events. A couple of them include very detailed drawings. They also took water samples which were examined in a lab.

For what purpose would those sailors lie about all that?

reply to post by GeisterFahrer


I"m curious about why you would assume the person who wrote this letter is a seasoned sailor?

The letter writer used a psuedonym - "Lee Fore Brace".

reply to post by -PLB-


What about the rotating spokes.. 5 RPMs I think it was...

Thats the bit that gets me...

reply to post by -PLB-


I am not sure I understand your question. I am not accusing anyone of lying.

reply to post by Hefficide


He included names of witnesses as well as one person's rank. That person would have been a seasoned sailor.

Captain Avern, commander of the Patna and Mr. Manning, 3rd officer.

They never gave command of a vessel to an unseasoned sailor.

Imagine you watching a Poiseidon's wheel alongside an admiral. The admiral would explain to you very quickly what it was. So would any petty officers.

It is strongly implied that they had no friggin clue what it was.

[edit on 6-9-2010 by GeisterFahrer]

reply to post by CynicalM


All a 'skeptic' does is question a certain explanation. The "being a skeptic" ends there. After that the same person often tries to present the most reasonable explanation. Some people will lie, others won't. The being a skeptic part is not really a part of that.

reply to post by GeisterFahrer


For what purpose do you require a photograph then?

reply to post by GeisterFahrer


Yes, he was just a passenger but mentions the Captain and First Mate witnessed the event..

reply to post by GeisterFahrer


He included two persons rank in the letter. I have been on a few boats, including one large cruise ship and was aware of the names and ranks of the officers (in the case of the cruise ship a number of them) on those ships - and I am not a sailor.

reply to post by -PLB-


To see if the photo matches in any way the description given in the thread..

It was a wheel with spokes spinning at 5 RPMs, 600yds wide and followed the ship for 20 minutes...

Sounds incredible to me...

reply to post by -PLB-


I don't require a photograph to decide whether something is true or not. Some people do, I don't.

My point is, and I am not sure I made it clear earlier, is that it was common knowledge that certain marine life glowed at the time of this sighting.

To think a Captain of a vessel would not be able to differentiate between something he would "reasonably" have known to have existed as well as a petty officer, simply does not make sense at all. They both would have been able to tell if it was marine life, or not.

What they saw dumbfounded them.


this is what I was able to find regarding the OP's article:

www.sacred-texts.com...

[edit on 6-9-2010 by GeisterFahrer]

reply to post by CynicalM


In one of the reports the speed of the spokes was calculated at 50m/s. It also seem to react on shining light on it. They also experimented with changing course, that did not seem to affect it. They tried to spray in the sea with the fire hose to see if they could generate the effect artificially, but they did not succeed. A scientist suggests it may have been a very large unknown organism, although he noted no animal fits the description.

All in all it seems to be an amazing and mysterious phenomena, but also very earthy.

In going about this from the ground up, I've, at least, verfied the evidence of a British India Company ship called the Patna. So we can verify that a steamship by that name did exist and was scrapped in 1901.

reply to post by -PLB-

All in all it seems to be an amazing and mysterious phenomena, but also very earthy.

Why are you convinced it's Earthly??