One way or another, most of the "anomalous phenomena" in the Russian sky until the very end of the 19th century were firmly associated with fire, burning or flames. The Siberian Chronicle, written by the Tobolsk “scribe” Cherepanov, says that on November 28, 1696, “… at night, at five o'clock, there was an air sign in the east: from a dark cloud hanging like a lamp, kindled by a great fire, and weight shining brightly, and down even to the ground. And soon it went out. " “… In the course of the summer of 1836 in the Saratov province there were apparently a lot of wandering lights and meteors,” the historian A. Leopoldov wrote. - Among the latter, on July 8, 10 o'clock in the afternoon was most remarkable: almost in the sky, to the north, a round, whitish club the size of the moon appeared; for several minutes he hung in the air, and then disappeared, quietly descending to the ground,only its trail wriggled for a few more minutes in the form of a jet in zigzags”. A similar phenomenon was seen in October 1893 over Helsingfors (now Helsinki). In the sky appeared “… a fireball, gradually descending and taking on ever larger sizes. The ball was surrounded by a blue-green glow, which took on an increasingly green hue as the ball lowered. The interesting phenomenon lasted for several minutes. " However, I ran a little ahead …
In the winter of 1892, the situation changed dramatically. Authorities, not to mention newspaper editors, began to receive hundreds of reports of black bodies with lights on board. These mysterious objects flooded the earth with the light of their "searchlights", turning night into day. Over the border provinces, shiny silver "cars" flew past with a roar, cutting through the frosty air. In the vast expanses of the Russian Empire, from the Caucasus to the Urals, panic began to brew. “On the evening of March 26, at about 9 o'clock, in Berdichev, a large star appeared on the horizon, shining with an extraordinary light, attracted everyone's attention,” said B. Sh. “They began to observe it and, to great amazement, noticed that it was moving. At first it went from the west in a straight direction, then turned south, and the turn was at right angles. After some time, it deviated slightly to the north and stopped … With the naked eye one could see that this star was releasing, as it were, a forked light, the rays of which often changed their direction. With the help of a telescope, they learned that this was a huge balloon with two strong electric reflectors. On both sides of the ball there were two huge lanterns, one red, the other green … The ball was calmly floating in the air, from time to time dropping down, now quickly rising up. He was at a very significant height. As for the distance at which he was from the city, it was no more than 10-12 versts. At 10 1/2 o'clock, the ball began to slowly (for the naked eye) return. But suddenly he quickly turned west and in a few minutes disappeared from sight. It was then that in Russia for the first time they began to compare mysterious bodies with "plates". True, it was not about the shape, but about their apparent dimensions; the shape of the disc-shaped objects was much more readily compared by the peasants to the "haystack" or "dome"
On March 24, near the Dynamind fortress located not far from Riga “… a brightly luminous body was visible in the air, which at first could be mistaken for a lighthouse light, but upon closer examination it turned out that the lighthouse was located much to the west. The luminous body was the size of an average plate and sent light rays to the ground. It looked like an uncovered electric lamp, as a result of which, from a prolonged look at it, it rippled in the eyes … It is assumed that it was a balloon with electric lighting. " A few days later, the UFO reappeared over Dynamind, but this time behaved much more strange: “On April 4 at 10 o'clock in the evening, a bright luminous body similar to a star appeared over Dynamind … A 'star' appeared on the northwest side, began to head to the fortress and increase in volume. It held out over the fortress for about half an hour, then increasing, then decreasing, then completely extinguishing for a few seconds. The light was bright, like an electric one, the size of the "star" reached 2.5-3 vershoks in an oval shape. Then she began to move back, and described a broken line, then descending, then rising, she stopped successively over the forts of the fortress and, finally, disappeared in the north-west, having stayed about 1.5 hours above the Dynamind horizon. Here many have seen this "star". From Riga, some people also watched her flight over the fortress. " On April 22, "according to eyewitnesses," something very mysterious flew over Kherson …Then she began to move back, and described a broken line, then descending, then rising, she stopped successively over the forts of the fortress and, finally, disappeared in the north-west, having stayed about 1.5 hours above the Dynamind horizon. Here many have seen this "star". From Riga, some people also watched her flight over the fortress. " On April 22, "according to eyewitnesses," something very mysterious flew over Kherson …Then she began to move back, and described a broken line, then descending, then rising, she stopped successively over the forts of the fortress and, finally, disappeared in the north-west, having stayed about 1.5 hours above the Dynamind horizon. Here many have seen this "star". From Riga, some people also watched her flight over the fortress. " On April 22, "according to eyewitnesses," something very mysterious flew over Kherson …
“It was at 10:30 pm,” people said. - At first they noticed him descending … Despite the fact that the ball was below the stars, it was impossible to distinguish its outline; the size of a plate, it emitted two rows of rays - blue to the right and orange to the left. After standing a little in one place, he began to describe small circles, then rose … and, gradually descending, disappeared to the west. " Among those who saw the "plates" were the military, high-ranking officials, station chiefs, priests, not to mention the townspeople and peasants.
The head of the Vesely Kut station of the South-West Railways, a certain Mr. Ivanenko, reported that “on April 3, at about 11 am, all the station employees and passengers had the opportunity to observe the balloon moving in different directions, often changing the colors of the lights … By telegraph from the Birzula station … it was reported that a balloon was visible there too, changing the lights, at about 9 pm. " “At 11 o'clock in the morning, from 11 to 12 April, I saw a balloon in the economy of Voskresenka … of the Yekaterinoslav province, flying from northeast to west with extreme speed, - wrote M. Khmelnitsky. - Facing north, I saw a ball to my right, and within 25 minutes it managed to leave me to the left, west, and disappeared over the horizon. The sky was completely starry, and I could clearly see a strongly and brightly luminous body with a diameter of 2 inches. This body on the left side burned brightly, emitting first a bright red, then a blue color, while the right side shone below with a pale and elongated light, like a sheaf, expanding downward. All of the above can be confirmed by the nobleman Vladimir Pavlovich Sokologorsky and the peasants Kornei and Anna Sulima who observed this phenomenon together with me. " Finally, the columnist for the newspaper "Light" Vs. K. tried to understand the aerial mystery, spreading out before him eyewitness letters and newspaper clippings (and not all of them). The picture, which was formed from pieces, like a mosaic, turned out to be very impressive: “From the observations of an unknown“star”or“meteor”or even a“comet”, as some say, and, perhaps, balloons, as others suggest, has already gathered data series for the last week,which make it possible to group into one whole several very characteristic and general features of this new phenomenon, scattered in the notes of different observers from different localities.
The first series of observations refers to March 15, 16 and 17. This phenomenon was observed in the given numbers in the provinces of Kovno and Augustovskaya, in Warsaw, Grodno and Lutsk (Volyn province). Moments of observation: appearance - at about 7 pm (Augustovo), at about 8 pm (Grodno), removal to the west - 8.45 pm, disappearance - 9.15 pm (Grodno). Appearance in the opposite direction to the west - 7 am (Grodno), 7.30 am (Seyny). Then, for 5 days from March 18 to March 22 inclusive, nothing is heard about the "balls" or "luminaries". Their appearance, apparently, was not observed anywhere. But after this break, from March 23 to March 29, inclusive, a new series of observations follows, covering already two belts, wider and, moreover, moving further and further to the east. In the first of these belts are the cities of Lutsk, Pinsk, Minsk, Vilno,distant from our border in a straight direction at 63, 238, 400 and 160 versts. The second observation belt covers the town of Vinnitsa, Kiev and Vitebsk …
On March 23, the balloon was observed in the village. Zmeinets (near Lutsk) … on March 25 at 10 o'clock in the evening, as they write in the "Odessa leaf", from Vinnitsa in the northwestern part of the firmament appeared some kind of glowing angular shape … March 26, as they write in the newspaper "Novosti", many saw a balloon flying over Pinsk. The next day, 27, with the onset of evening with a completely clear sky, a whole crowd on Pinsk Square watched the appearance of a luminous body, regarding which the correspondent believes that it is "nothing more than a comet, characterized by rapid movement and radiant light", she was heading north - to the west (to Grodno) and was visible for about 2 hours, and after midnight it disappeared. Then, on March 26 … at 11 o'clock in the evening, for the first time, a luminous ball appeared over the city of Vitebsk and in the fastest flight headed to the west, with a strong north-east wind blowing.
The next day, 27, at the beginning of twilight (that is, at 8 o'clock in the evening) a balloon appeared again over Vitebsk, which circled over the city for a long time. Finally, at about 8 pm on 29 pm, a similar ball was seen in Vitebsk, already moving towards the south. Glowing red throughout the flight, it “suddenly took the form of a comet with a tail,” and after 1/4 hour it disappeared, and then reappeared in its previous form. The phenomenon, besides the correspondent, was observed by many more people.
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On March 27, according to a Novosti correspondent, at about 4 pm over the town of Vasilkov (Grodno province, Bialystok district), residents observed in a clear starry sky the appearance of a "luminous point" in the northwest, taken by correspondent G. M. Bernov as a star, "But 3-4 times more than her." The peculiarity of this luminous point was that it "stood in one place and suddenly went out", and that it appeared "here, then in another place."
Then we received two correspondence yesterday from Minsk. In one of them, it is reported that on March 29, at 11 pm, an eyewitness correspondent, second lieutenant of the 30th artillery brigade, observed a luminous point “larger than a comet” over the city of Minsk, from which two beams of bright light spilled onto the ground. The light gradually decreased and increased. A similar phenomenon was also observed on March 27 and 28. Our other Minsk correspondent reports that on the 28th, at 9.30 in the evening, he observed a ball that appeared over the city, which moved - as far as the observer could see with field glasses - at an altitude of at least 1 1/2 versts. The ball threw a sheaf of bright electric light that fanned out downward and swayed slightly from side to side. The light dwindled and arrived. Through binoculars it was possible to distinguish, although not entirely clearly, the upper,the dark part of the luminous body, which had the shape of an ordinary balloon. This ball appeared over Minsk immediately, and then, after a while, began to move westward, until it completely went out in the distance at about 10 pm. This phenomenon was observed on the streets by many people.
Finally, the newspaper "Kievskoe slovo" reports that the other day we saw a ball in Kiev … So, within 7 days, the appearance of the ball or "luminary" was observed at 8 points, along its arc 1400 versts, and along the chord 460 versts. All observations were made 14. The time of the appearance of the balls from the beginning of twilight, that is, from 7.30 pm to 6.30 am. The place of the first appearance of a luminous object at the time of observation is in the west, northwest and east. The direction of its movement is east-west, west - southeast, south - northwest, south, east, west. All observations indicate a significant size of the "luminary", as well as - sheaves (one or two) of electric light, directed from a luminous point exclusively down to the ground, and this light is either weakened, then intensified and changes its color. Likewise, observations establish not a round, but rather,the conical or angular shape of the luminous body, the significant speed of its movement and its approximate height, equal to 1 1/2 versts, or the height of the crane flight. In the same way, the fact of arbitrary standing and circling or changing the place of this luminous body over one or another point chosen by it is established. " Before the "space" versions, people were not yet ripe, and in the magazines of those years, every now and then published articles about the "impossibility of interplanetary communication." Eyewitnesses mostly adhered to "earthly" hypotheses, willingly attributing "mysterious machines" to German balloonists. In the same way, the fact of arbitrary standing and circling or changing the place of this luminous body over one or another point chosen by it is established. " Before the "space" versions, people were not yet ripe, and in the magazines of those years, every now and then published articles about the "impossibility of interplanetary communication." Eyewitnesses mostly adhered to "earthly" hypotheses, willingly attributing "mysterious machines" to German balloonists. In the same way, the fact of arbitrary standing and circling or changing the place of this luminous body over one or another point chosen by it is established. " Before the "space" versions, people were not yet ripe, and in the magazines of those years, every now and then published articles about the "impossibility of interplanetary communication." Eyewitnesses mostly adhered to "earthly" hypotheses, willingly attributing "mysterious machines" to German balloonists.
"The question of aeronautics should now be considered resolved in the affirmative sense, and decided not by us, but by our possible enemies in the future, who, possessing such a powerful tool, can cause us enormous harm," said one of the readers on the pages of "Odessa leaf". - Yes, the harm has already been done by them. While good-natured readers are surprised at the appearance of some wandering meteors, showing and disappearing from our horizon with strange periodicity, in the meantime, from abroad every evening several Prussian officers and specialists are ferrying to us in an aeronautical vehicle and, ironically laughing at the impotence and lack of understanding of the Russians, calmly photographing plans for fortresses, which are known to be state secrets. In a few time, while our magazines argue among themselves - whether it is a comet or a balloon,while scientists will interpret and prove on paper the inconceivability of controlling the ball, meanwhile the Prussian General Staff will be enriched with many photographs of Russian fortresses.
In peacetime, the appearance of these Prussian officers hovering over Russian land can bring tangible harm only by throwing various proclamations onto the ground, and finally, simply, various contraband. In wartime, such balls, being the property of only the hostile side, can cause irreparable harm.
In one of the newspapers we read that balloons are a trifle, it is only important that our army be cheerful and confident of their victory. But in this case, it is the spirit of the army that can significantly fall, with the knowledge that the enemy, striking him from a height, is outside the scope of his weapon, when the enemy is not visible, but nevertheless brings harm. Wouldn't a sudden explosion of dynamite in the middle of a sleeping camp, far from the enemy, of dynamite thrown from a ball, make a depressing impression on the spirit and mood of the army? At the moment of a decisive battle, the appearance of enemy balls in the rear of the army, throwing various explosives at the artillery and troops, cannot have an impact on the course of the battle? Finally, a similar ball, appearing above an armored squadron, cannot destroy this squadron in the same way? Finally, during the siege of a fortress,accelerate its delivery, causing harm from above to everything that can only be discerned from the ball.
Indeed, the possession of such a powerful weapon by a hostile side can bring incalculable harm to Russia, and the latter must take all means to counter this evil. The best opposition, of course, will be the appearance of similar machines in our country.
But, not having such balloons that can go against the wind and, in general, amenable to control, we have the same opportunity to raise the balloon-captif over the fortresses at night, and thus prevent the snapshots of plans. Finally, you can come up with a way to take one of the machines prisoner and, having disassembled what its mechanism is, in a short time, in turn, pay a visit to Prussia and give the garrisons of Danzig, Konigsberg and other Prussian fortresses the pleasure of admiring a beautiful meteor flying over their fortifications …
We are sure, however, that the Prussian gentlemen would not puzzle over solving the problem of what kind of meteor flies over their fortresses, but would simply instruct the best shooters of the garrison to take this brilliant target for shooting, since the current weapon makes it possible to shoot at a huge distance. and thus discourage this meteor from flying where it is not asked, and in general, for "your walks, choose a nook."
In general, one should discard all speculation about comets and meteors and, having confessed. that the Germans were the first to resolve the issue of the controllability of balloons, to try as best they could to counteract the harm caused to us by their flying machines.
We are sure that thoughtful essays about meteors provide great food for ridicule to our foreign friends, who, following the example of Vaska from the fable, “listen to themselves and eat”. So, instead of any articles about the planet Venus, Jupiter and wandering comets, it would be interesting to read the comments of the military people about the means that we have to counteract the harm caused to us by the Prussian balls. " However, others noticed that "… the news of the invention of a controlled balloon would have time to spread around the world with the speed of lightning … As for the balloons of German aeronautics, they are of a generally accepted design and can only move in the wind …". Experienced balloonists denied that the Germans or anyone else could have built such advanced machines and kept them a secret. And they were right: the first controlled balloon or,as such devices are called in our time, the airship was built by Count Zeppelin only in 1900. The first plane had to wait even longer. When it turned out that the "balls" appeared not only over Russia, but also over Germany, the "German" version had to be finally discarded. “You can believe me that at the present time, although we live in the“age of electricity”, it is still not able to emit such strong sheaves of light for a long time from such enormous heights that a balloon can reach," balloonist Adam Malakhovsky told the correspondent "Petersburg leaf". - No, no, you just take into account the fact that for such a light, as the eyewitnesses talk about, it is necessary to raise an engine of several billion volt-amperes in a balloon, and this, as you wish, does not stand up to criticism at all … I can with confidence to tell,that at the present time there is no such device for balloons, with the help of which it would be possible to fly at a speed exceeding 4 meters per second … ". When it turned out that it was not Germans who were flying in the sky, the people's interest in “heavenly riddles” diminished significantly, although letters about mysterious phenomena were received by the editorial offices of newspapers until the very end of the year. Here is the most typical letter published in the summer of 1892: “From 17th to 18th this June, at 12 o'clock in the morning, my attention was drawn to two especially bright and large stars, of which the first stood above the horizon directly in the east, and the second - a little to the south from it and above, - said the priest Illarion Pasternatsky from the town of Dudichi. - Both stars were 1 inch in diameter and, in their yellow-red color, resembled two light sources distant in the night darkness,what the peasants arrange during the "night", and one such source of light, a fire made of firewood, as if to compare and determine the color of the stars, burned in the pasture three versts from the place of observation. At first, the observed stars either reduced the intensity of the light and even disappeared for a very short time, then again increased in light intensity and increased in volume, but after 10 minutes of observation compared to objects visible on the ground, such as lime trees, the lever of a well, etc., it became noticeable that both stars, with the described features, move at the same distance from each other from east to south. At 1 h. 45 min. the first star, maintaining its movement to the south, began to rise higher above the horizon, and the second about this time, making several rather quick irregular movements up and down and along a curved line back to the east,has completely ceased to be visible. I and those who watched with me believed that this second star would no longer appear, when suddenly, after 10 minutes, it appeared again, but a little further - to the south of the point of its disappearance. After that, both stars moved one after the other in the same direction. The first, as being now in the southeast and closer in place and time to the rising of the sun, changed its bright yellow, almost red, into a light color, which ordinary stars shine, but at the same time both stars began to gradually decrease in volume, and at 3.15 a.m. the second star ceased to be visible in the very south, and the first at that time was still a pea in volume, somewhat east of the point of disappearance of the second star, and soon also disappeared. Both of these stars were observed by me later, after all the stars disappeared from the firmament. Almost at the moment of sunrise, therefore, as if in the daytime, and what else is also worthy of attention is that at night, dark, like clouds, and in the morning light, colored by the rays of the sun, the clouds with their influx did not cover the observed stars, like this seen in relation to ordinary stars, and passed over them, not at all covering them and, as it were, having them under us. Moreover, on the second star, both with a simple eye and in a telescope at the moments of its greatest volume, it was as if a subdivision into parts was visible, namely: the center was a dark point, and 4 similar dark lines went from it - up, down and in sides.as is seen in relation to ordinary stars, but passed over them, not at all covering them and, as it were, having them under us. Moreover, on the second star, both with a simple eye and in a telescope at the moments of its greatest volume, it was as if a subdivision into parts was visible, namely: the center was a dark point, and 4 similar dark lines went from it - up, down and in sides.as is seen in relation to ordinary stars, but passed over them, not at all covering them and, as it were, having them under us. Moreover, on the second star, both with a simple eye and in a telescope at the moments of its greatest volume, it was as if a subdivision into parts was visible, namely: the center was a dark point, and 4 similar dark lines went from it - up, down and in sides.
The question arises, for what to take these extraordinary stars: for comets or for flying foreign shells, about which there is so much talk both in print and in conversations? Those observing together with me formed the conviction that these were the flying shells, claiming that the Germans were almost visible on them."