Manchester, Connecticut, EVENING HERALD, 9 July 1947, page

Manchester Once Excited Over 'Flying Things', Too

Flying Saucers! Flying Plates! Flying Discs!

Twenty-five years ago the Manchester area had Flying Squashes!

As usual, The Herald started the whole thing; just as The Herald was the first paper to bring to public attention "The Mysterious Hum," "The Shimmy House" and what became nationally known as "The Glawakus."

The first mention of the Flying Squash appeared in a little item in The Herald which told of a resident of "Skunks' Misery," telling a friend here that for a couple of nights he had seen orange colored, balloon-like objects floating around his garden. "Skunks' Misery" is on Forbes street, East Hartford, near the Manchester line.

A reporter for The Herald got an auto and went over to the spot described which was near some swampland. He remained about an hour but no lights appeared.

However, within the next week, stories began to circulate through town that the lights were floating over the road and some were seen in Manchester.

These stories were published in The Herald and another trip made by the reporter. And still no lights seen.

Still the rumors persisted and, skeptical after two trips to the scene, The Herald man decided to make one more try at it and then forget the whole affair if nothing happened.

On this night, two other reporters, unknown to the local newsman, had also decided to look over the situation, being sent to "Skunks' Misery" by their Hartford editors.

And then it happened! While the reporters were talking to an old man seated on a porch, an orange colored object arose from the swampland across the way. It floated about fifty feet in the air and then began going around in circles and finally disappeared.

The newspapers told of the phenomenon. The news spread. Roads in the vicinity of the swamp were jammed nightly; with cars filled with the curious. The lights were seen often. The description varied just as the descriptions now of the Flying Saucers.

The one The Herald man saw was about the size of a muskmellon. Others claimed they saw five and six. Some said they were the size of a squash and the globes were finally dubbed by the newspapers "The Incandescent Squashes."

There were, of course, all sorts of explanations. Mass Hysteria was one of them. Also such explanations as spots on the glasses of sightseers and too much hootch. Scientists from Trinity College, without visiting the scene, dubbed the apparitions "will 'o the wisps," caused by swamp gas.

The flying lights were seen from time to time and then the swamp was drained and the talk ceased.