Mysterious 1897 UFO Crash at Aurora, Texas

I've read many articles and books on this so called UFO crash that occurred 1897. Many documentaries were made as well often depicting awesome computer generated alien craft crashing onto a windmill and bursting into flames. Many ufologists are still scratching their heads today trying to figure out this mystery saying that we did not have the capabilities to build such oval shaped crafts in 1897 and the Wright brothers were still experimenting with gliders in Dayton, Ohio.

Well, with a little effort, I’ve did research on early flights, especially balloons. Did you know that the first journey made by man in a balloon occurred in November 1783; the aerial journey was made over Paris by Jean Francois Pilatre de Rozier? In 1799, Sir George Cayley, aka “Father of Aerial Navigation”, designed the first airplane. 1884, Renard and Krebs designed the first airship (La France) which could be steered in any direction regardless of the wind and a German engineer by the name of David Schwarz built a similar oval shaped airship and flew over Berlin in 1896.

In 2004, I’ve purchased a book titled: ‘Solving the 1897 Airship Mystery’ by Michael Busby / Pelican Publishing Co. 2004, which oddly enough was found in the “travel” section of the book store. This book was well researched by the author and he believes that the airship that crashed was man-made and aluminum components were utilized to build this craft. This book also shows the patent applications that were submitted depicted six different airships that matched the aerial crafts that were witnessed by many in 1987. Why is this information being overlooked?

The UFO Hunters did an episode where they answered many questions about the Aurora TX incident. Here are a few tidbits:

1. The pictures of the rancher with the abnormal hand had health problems that contributed to such a condition. Relatives confirmed it had nothing to do with the water.

2. A metal allow was found in the tree, and another was found at the site. It turned out to be a pure form of aluminum that was very expensive during the late 19th Century. While it could still be man-made, it was rare. There was also a high concentration of aluminum in the water. It could of come from a natural source.

3. There was a windmill at the site. Many skeptics and debunkers had dismissed the story outright because there was no windmill on the farm. Digging up the well showed there was a windmill that was dated during the time frame of the incident. While not proof anything happened, it does state that the original story did have one fact correct.

4. The surviving rancher remembered his father removing debris from the well during the 1940s(?). That does indicate something was thrown down the well. Whether it was a craft was not determined as he did not know where the debris was placed. The well also was dated to come from the late 19th Century.

5. The unmarked grave was found and it had been caved in. There was no way to tell who or what was buried there. No permission was given to dig it up.

There also is an article that is about some wealthy people who may have built some airships which could explain the Aurora crash. This would be a down to Earth answer, and is what I believe Aurora is.

http://www.houstonpress.com/1998-12-10/news/secrets-of-the-sonora-aero-club/

I think the article puts to rest any ET theories out there.

Yes, I did see this episode on UFO Hunters. The book's author suggested the reason why there wasn't remnants of the crash is because, as you said, aluminum was very expensive and in those days, they salvage and recycled most everything included the aluminum framework from the crash scene. The pilot's body so badly burnt and probably mixed with the airship's burnt debris and soot, the carcass most likely looked like a humanoid covered with blackened rice crispys and that would scare the heck out of anyone and if it was an "alien" they would have it preserved and enclosed it and sold it to PT Barnum's traveling World's Fair for profit.

I am not convinced the craft was extraterrestrial in nature. Most sightings of these dirigible like craft also reported propellers which is something that was used on the early models.

One thing would be to dig up the grave of the pilot and test the DNA. Again, while I think this is an interesting story, I do think it has an earthly explanation. The story of the wealthy builder of the secret dirigibles gives that more credence.

I think this case will be solved quite soon, and ufologists won't like the answer.

that is the only problem I have with some of the investigations. If you're not dispassionate, and try to make whatever facts you find fit your expectations, you're going to be disappointed quickly.

If it DOES prove to be the 19th century version of Richard Branson with a cutting edge lighter-than-aircraft that met an untimely end, it will be much less spectacular than a crashed spacecraft, but still a cool mystery solved.

At least in my opinion. I know that there would be a lot of stupid email remarks made like "heard you guys found Jules Verne" or some such..

The best part of the episode was they proved something actually happened and gleaned evidence from the site. There actually was a windmill and well, and such well was filled with debris. There is evidence showing something crashed, although it was probably terrestrial in origin. The main thing is most debunkers did not even investigate the story at all, just cried hoax and moved on. That is why research and investigating is needed in all UFO stories.

The Aurora case will not be the only one that will be shown to have happened. It will also not be the only case to show a terrestrial answer.

There may be many on this site who want an ET answer for all the cases, while there are others who want the unfiltered truth and proper investigation. Kudos to both UFO Hunters and the author of the article for at least doing the investigative work required to find the answers.

Is this bit of Info from a different UFO Forum site, inaccurate?
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From the city of Denton, Texas came this account: "A North Texas State University professor had found some metal fragments near the Oates gas station (former Proctor farm). One fragment was said to be 'most intriguing' because it consisted primarily of iron which did not seem to exhibit magnetic properties."
The professor also said he was puzzled because the fragment was "shiny and malleable instead of dull and brittle like iron."

I am curious about the supposed debris. Would it be possible for the Govt to sanitize this event many years after the fact? With All the debris being recovered? Also, I have read several of the earliest reports of "airships' landing in the US and the occupants asking for water? what could be the significance of the occupants asking for water? Where they just thirsty? Wonder what thats about?
MB

Marksbrother, there were many sightings and supposed crashes of objects "reported" in the late 19th Century. The problem is many of the stories could of been hoaxes as that was not an uncommon problem. That is why it is important to try and research all the cases out there and see if the authors of the stories wrote other hoaxes.

The Aurora Texas case is so far the only one to find actual evidence that something did crash there. As I have stated before, it appears to be a man made dirigible that probably crashed. Many of the craft were large and shaped like dirigibles including having propellers on them. I do not think a craft from another solar system would have large propellers on it, but I could be wrong.

kidflash2008 wrote:

The Aurora Texas case is so far the only one to find actual evidence that something did crash there. As I have stated before, it appears to be a man made dirigible that probably crashed. Many of the craft were large and shaped like dirigibles including having propellers on them. I do not think a craft from another solar system would have large propellers on it, but I could be wrong.

It's Interesting that people were flying around in itself. I must learn more about that. Cool tangent to look at. thanks. Crashed dirigible would negate all and any ideas about metallic debris. Dead ETs or whathaveyou. Neat-o-. I agree, many stories from the late 19th century are Bizarre, and I have had fun trying to understand some of them, or attempting to extrapolate similarities, Or just compare them to each other. Aurora is a fascinating story from a unique part of Texas History. And I dont think digging up any graves would prove fruitful, either.
MB

kidflash2008 wrote:

There also is an article that is about some wealthy people who may have built some airships which could explain the Aurora crash. This would be a down to Earth answer, and is what I believe Aurora is.

http://www.houstonpress.com/1998-12-10/news/secrets-of-the-sonora-aero-club/

I think the article puts to rest any ET theories out there.

I disagree, the link you posted was fascinating reading, But it claims that in 1860's Peter Menniss died, and with him went the secrets of the Suppe, which means Soup in German. No more flying was to take place, without the magical fuel. Why all the Secrecy from Dellschau? why the continued secrecy about his Cryptic notes, even today? Until more is known about Dellschau's Aeroclub, The jury is still out on this one for me anyways. Someone died in Aurora, someone was buried there, that would be a known fact from 1897, and yet, no one is missing from any of the Clubs Dellschau was associated with. All deaths were accounted for by eye witnesses. The town of Aurora had many witnesses, wouldnt there have been death notices in a Paper? Wouldn't someone be missing their Loved One, who disappeared while flying a Mysterious Airship? From a Secret Club of Aeronauts? This is a very fascinating tangent you have illuminated Kid, thanks a bunch. One that I had never even heard of. Great reading!!!

Marksbrother

My main problem with the craft being from another world is that they are described as having propellers. That is not something an alien would use to move themselves around, put was popular during the time.

The cases are all fascinating, but until we find more evidence, they all look to be some type of experimental dirigible made by the very wealthy (such as the Chases and Rockefellers).

Here's the Hayden Article:



I'm looking for other sources that say there were propellers found, I think that would solidify the reality of this incident. Is that from a Book or article done sometime later? Interesting.
Marksbrother

No wreckage has actually been found on the Aurora crash. The wreckage was allegedly put into the well and then removed for scrap in the 1930s. A survivor who owned the ranch remembered the wreckage being taken out of the well, but did not know where it was taken.

Many of the sightings of the craft back then have people describing the propellers on the object. It is possible they were mistaken, but with a detail like that one I would think they saw them. From the reports, it is hard to state that we were visited by extraterrestrials during those sightings. It is always a possibility, and I keep my mind open to the idea.

Found this interesting:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/cow-abduction.htm


http://www.unmuseum.org/airship.htm


The First article includes and "Airship" hoax with the Cow Abduction. The date seems to match. I wonder, now
If more and more evidence will point to a Hoax, or perhaps a "Liars Club"?
The second article is a great read on the whole 1890's Airship Mystery. Seems less than likely it was Extraterrestrial, but then....


Marksbrother

Thank you for that link, MarksBrother. I will be reading a lot of the articles from there.

That is one of the problems of the cases from that era. It was not uncommon for a newspaper to hoax an article. One thing that has to be done is look into the details presented and try to do some fact finding in this day and age. If the article is small in detail, then it is most probably a hoax. That is not to say the biggest articles were not made up as the writers could be quite imaginative.

With Aurora TX, they have found that something did crash there at the time. Proving something happened is half the battle, and the other half is then finding out all the details of the event.

One thing I havent seen explained is the Propulsion system. The internal combustion gas turbine engine wasnt powerful enough to propel a water pump, let alone a Flying machine in 1897. So, if some supposedly wealthy person invested all that money in a Craft, and it was under its own power, then why wouldnt they have patented the Motor? I mean, a return on the investment is always incentive to a rich guy, no?
Marksbrother

MarksBrother wrote:

One thing I havent seen explained is the Propulsion system. The internal combustion gas turbine engine wasnt powerful enough to propel a water pump, let alone a Flying machine in 1897. So, if some supposedly wealthy person invested all that money in a Craft, and it was under its own power, then why wouldnt they have patented the Motor? I mean, a return on the investment is always incentive to a rich guy, no?
Marksbrother

That is a good question, and I have no idea of the type of propulsion system they used (hydrogen?). The wealthy people making dirigibles is one possible theory of what happened back then.

We would have to believe that someone beat Ferdinand von Zeppelin to the skies a full 3 years earlier in a craft that was much much smaller and made of metal instead of cloth. AND this craft had enough mass to knock over a windmill with the inertia. If this was low enough to hit a windmill and there were witnesses, wouldn't they be able to see the pilots? Where were they? In with the hydrogen gas? Was this a convertible? Just one disfigured midget pilot?

I think I would have to suspend my belief in the laws of physics.

Just as there were others working on the airplane during the exact same time as the Wright Brothers, there could of been people working on the dirigibles other than von Zeppelin. (Alexander Graham Bell beat out the other inventor of the telephone by a few days.)

I'm sure other people were working on similar technology around the same time, and the patent race was on. However, we have no documentation to support this. I would think the common sense of the time would be to NOT build and, float and pilot a dirigible made out of metal. Just doesn't add up. (to me)

Fox Mulder wrote:

I'm sure other people were working on similar technology around the same time, and the patent race was on. However, we have no documentation to support this. I would think the common sense of the time would be to NOT build and, float and pilot a dirigible made out of metal. Just doesn't add up. (to me)

That is the major problem with my theory. I would love to find something to back it up. I use the theory as one possible explanation as to what happened. I do not think there is enough to jump on the extraterrestrial bandwagon for these sightings, although they cannot be ruled out. Since both theories are still valid but unprovable, they should be looked at seriously. I also will agree that they may never be solved, but do add a very interesting side to ufology.

that is so cool that some rich dude way back when figured out how to do it. it's too bad he died flying it. but that's what happens when you test your own stuff.

wow. it's shocking to me that there are so many stupid people today that they don't recognize the stupid people of last century. Maybe they're the same people lol

The Aurora TX crash mystery is far from solved. The main thing is now they know something really did crash on that date. Was it a dirigible made by an uber wealthy person, or was it a possible extraterrestrial visitor? That is the question that now must be answered. The search for evidence goes on.