There is an interesting account of strange phenomena emerging at the start of the twentieth century that not only seems to link in with strange electrical activity but may be the event which inspired the Philadelphia Experiment (a topic we will return to in the future and explain all the ins and outs):
It was shortly after the sun had gone, and we were in latitude 37 degrees 16 minutes and longtitude 72 degrees 14 minutes. The sea was almost as level as a parlour carpet and scarcely a breeze ruffled the water. It was slowly growing dark when the lookout saw a strange gray cloud in the southeast. At first it appeared as a speck on the horizon, but it rapidly came nearer and was soon as large as a balloon.
It had a peculiar gray tinge, and as it bore down upon us we saw bright glowing spots in it's mass. A mile away we perceived that it rose several hundred feet above the level of the sea and was almost that broad. It rolled over the sea towards us, the glowing spots becoming more and more vivid ... [When enveloped:] The Mohican suddenly blazed forth like a ship on fire... The seamen were in terror when they found themselves looking as if they had been immersed in hell fire. Their hair stood straight on end, not from the fright so much as from the magnetic power of the cloud.
They rushed about on the deck in consternation; and the more they rushed about the more excited they became. I tried to calm them but the situation was beyond me. I looked at the [compass] needle and it was flying around like an electric fan. I ordered several of the crew to move some iron chains that were lying about on the deck, thinking that it would distract their attention. But what was the surprise to find that the sailors could not budge the chains, although they did not weigh more than 75 pounds each. Everything was magnetized, and chains, bolts, spikes and bars were as tight on the deck as if they had been riveted there.The cloud was so dense that it was impossible for the vessel to proceed. I could not see beyond the decks, and it appeared as if the whole world was a mass of glowing fire. The frightened sailors fell on the deck and prayed. I never saw anything so terrifying... After we had been in the cloud about ten minutes, we noticed that it became difficult to move our arms and legs, in fact, all joints of the body seemed to stiffen.
... For a half hour we were enveloped in that mysterious vapor. And for nearly all that time, after the sailors' first cries of fright had subsided, there was a great silence over everything that only added to the terror. I tried to talk but the words refused to leave my lips. The density of the cloud was so great that it would not carry sound.
Suddenly, the cloud began to lift. The phosphorescent glow of the ship and then crew began to fade. It gradually died away and at the same time the stiffness left the hair. In a few minutes the cloud had passed over the vessel and we saw it moving off over the sea. It loomed above the water like a great grey mass, spotted like a leopard's back with the bright glowing patches.
The crew gradually regained their composure and whispered to one another. I went among them, telling that all danger was past and they slowly went about their work. When I ordered them to move the chains for the second time, the men had no trouble in lifting them and tossing them about. Then I took a look at the [compass] needle and it was steadily pointing to the north, as if nothing had occured. I have sailed the seas for many years and, but I have never encountered a cloud like that. It must have been composed of some magnetized substance, which at the same time was combined with phosphorous.
Source: The article originally appeared as 'Electric Cloud Enveloped Ship', in The Philadelphia Enquirer, 1st August 1904, page 8. It was reproduced in Michael Shoemaker's article 'The Lightwheel Wonder' (Fortean Studies Volume 2). Thanks to Jerry B for spotting and transcribing it.
There are numerous other reports of strange clouds in the literature. We encountered one from Cannock Chase:
They were returning to a village near Stafford shortly after midnight as 4 August began. As they approached a bridge not far from Little Hayward Mrs Hall saw a glow ahead of them. Shortly afterwards, as Mr Morgan turned the car to the right, he looked in front and saw it also. Mrs Hall had been watching for deer, not uncommon in the area late at night, and at first she instinctively warned Reg, thinking it was something that he might collide with.
Gloria Hall describes it as 'a big cloud on the floor — all red — and it lit up'. She later added that it was fluorescent and slowly pulsated (or rather the central glow was being 'eclipsed' by vapour). It seemed denser in the middle, with vaporous mist on the edges. They could not determine if there was any solid shape behind.
Reg Morgan confirmed: 'It was like a gas cloud ... like a semi-saucer shape — a red glow — like if you look through a fluorescent tube When he first saw it the cloud was airborne and spanning the road. It moved away from them to the north, faded out, crossed the River Trent by the bridge and then briefly reappeared on the far side, before vanishing. The glow was certainly self-luminous. Reconstruction at the site proved there was no ambient light and the car headlamps could not have illuminated the thing.
There were no smells detected or apparent after effects. But during the sighting a clear indication of the Oz factor mentioned.
Gloria spontaneously remarked: 'It was dead quiet. . . very: very quiet.' Roger later confirmed: 'It was unbelievably quiet and Gloria emphasized: There was silence about everywhere.
...
David Reynolds, a local meteorologist, visited the site with investigators for a more detailed analysis. He found some evidence of tree damage which suggested a rotating vortex could have passed by. The general opinion of the weathermen involved seemed to be that the mechanical damage noted afterwards (if it was directly linked with the glowing cloud) was created by a vortex associated with the blob. The glow itself was probably ionization. Certainly there was no physical evidence on the ground that any heavy, dense or metallic object had landed and taken off again.
Also lets not forget holy messengers were always popping up on or out of glowing clouds. In Chapter 7 of The Invisible College Jacques Vallee draws out the links between miraculous visions and UFO encounters in particular the events at Fatima and Lourdes (page 156):
One such pattern is that of the cloud and the cave, a common thread between Fatima, Lourdes and other apparitions. In a descrption given in the Apocrypha we find the same pattern:
And they stood in the place of the cave, and behold a luminous cloud overshadowed the cave. And the midwife said: My soul has been magnified this day, because mine eyes have seen strange things -- because salvation has been brought forth to Israel. And immediately the cloud disappeared out of the cave, and a great light shone in the cave, so that the eyes could not bear it. And in a little that light gradually decreased, until the infant appeared.
Apocrypha source
and at the start of the chapter he uses this quote also from the Apocrypha of which this is another version:
And, behold, a new miracle. There appeared above the bier a cloud exceeding great, like the great circle which is wont to appear beside the splendour of the moon; and there was in the clouds an army of angels sending forth a sweet song, and from the sound of the great sweetness the earth resounded.
...
And going up, he wished to overturn the bier, and throw the body down to the ground. And immediately his hands dried up from his elbows, and stuck to the couch. And when the apostles raised the bier, part of him hung, and part of him adhered to the couch; and he was vehemently tormented with pain, while the apostles were walking and singing. And the angels who were in the clouds smote the people with blindness.
Apocrypha source
So time and again we see a glowing cloud producing strange effects on the observers (often including some kind of paralysis) and its cause is as yet unclear. If this is a purely natural and, as yet, unexplained atmospheric phenomena that not only does its formation need explaining but so does its ability to profoundly influence humans both physically and mentally.
Books
Fortean Studies Volume 2 (1995)
Amazon.co.uk
Jacques Vallee (1975)
The Invisible College: What UFO Scientists Know about the Nature of Alien Influences on the Human Race
(hb)
Amazon.com
(pb)
Amazon.com
