FLYING SAUCERS OVER KING CITY 

  "Fireball" Hovers Over
       Ex-Mt. V. Mayor's Home

     A fireball as big as a washtub 
  hovered over the home of a 
  former Mt. Vernon mayor last 
  night. 
     More flying saucer reports 
  poured into both the police sta- 
  tion and sheriff's office during 
  the night as numerous people re- 
  ported "strange lighted objects in 
  the sky." 
     Harry L. Bishop, former mayor 
  who lives at the north edge of 
  town on the Centralia Road, said 
  the fireball he saw "coming right 
  down the Centralia Road from 
  the north" was "the brightest 
  red light I have ever seen." 
     "It appeared to be only about 
  300 or 400 feet high, was oval 
  shaped and was about the size 
  of a washtub," said Bishop. 
     The ex-mayor said his wife 
  saw the fireball first and called 
  him about 10:10 p.m.  "I could 
  hardly believe my eyes," he said. 
     "I first saw the lighted object 
  following the route of the Cen- 
  tralia Road," he said.  "When it 
  got over my house, it stopped 
  and I could see it very clearly. 
  Although it was bright red it did 
  not light up the neighborhood." 
     Bishop said the fireball then 
  moved westward, went out of 
  sight for a moment "like some- 
  body had turned the light off." 
  He said it then reappeared in 
  the west and seemed to be travel- 
  ing at a high rate of speed. 
     "It seemed to be making a 
  light whirring sound," he said. 
  Called The Neighbors 
     "I thought those people at 
  Fairfield were crazy when I 
  read about the strange things 
  they have been seeing in the 
  sky," said Bishop, "but I've 
  changed my mind after last 
  night.  (Many lights in the sky 
  have been reported recently in 
  the Fairfield area.) 
     His first thought, he said, 
  was that he had better call some 
  neighbors to watch the fireball 
  "or everyone would think I was 
  crazy." 
     "I called neighbors and they 
  also watched the strange lighted 
  object," he said.  "I noticed a 
  car coming down the Centralia 
  road.  It stopped suddenly and 
  the driver jumped out and looked 
  upwards.  He saw the object, too, 
  and it startled him to a stop." 
     Bishop estimated that the fire- 
  ball was in sight for from ten to 
  15 minutes. 
  Many Other Reports 
     Many other Mt. Vernon resi- 
  dents reported seeing a strange 
  light in the western sky and one 
  resident of east Mt. Vernon said, 
  he saw two lights moving across 
  the sky at the same time.