Alternate Perceptions Magazine, March 2021
Mystifying Anomalies of Newfoundland
by: Chrissy Joy
Newfoundland is nestled on the eastern shore of Canada, sitting partway in the Atlantic Ocean where the cold, brisk Labrador current meets the warmth of the Gulf stream. The first to see a morning’s sunrise and the last to see a sunset for the North American Continent. It is a world, an island, of its own. A land rich with history, settlements of Norse in L'Anse aux Meadows dating back 1,000 years, and to the indigenous Beothuk people’s who occupied the land long before it’s posited discovery by John Cabot in 1497. Newfoundland also has areas of historical paranormal interest with the presence of a range of phenomenon, from fairy lore to ghosts, and the infamous spring heeled Jack that plagued London in the 1800's to hairy humanoid sea creatures.
Journalist, Jack Fitzgerald, in his book, “Beyond Belief: Incredible Stories of Old St. John’s, cites a strange phenomenon occurring in the sky above St. John’s on March 25, 1842. Newfoundland historian, Lord Bonnycastle, recorded a witness having seen a bow that was not a rainbow, in the early evening hour, “a blaze of rosette and fire coloured angry light after the sun dipped, a blaze which reflected on the eastern or sea sky to a great extent; and just as the sun had disappeared behind the hill, a perfect bow appeared in the east. This bow did not have the usual rainbow colours. It was made up of a variation of the colour red, from fiery red to the Rosette.” Bonnycastle noted though there was snow covering the land. There was no snow or rain during the two days of the unusual phenomenon.
Also noted in Jack Fitzgerald’s collection of unusual stories is an account during the mid-nineteenth century, February 26, 1840 and again March 7, 1904, when the appearance of three suns manifested over the island, visible all over St. John’s. In the morning around 11 a.m., the sky cleared of snowfall momentarily and visible to everyone “was three separate suns shining down from the heavens.” When the clouds came to pass, they disappeared.
During August of 1947, noted Jack Fitzgerald, many families in St. John’s witnessed a large burning cross that “could be seen hovering in the night sky.” It lasted for thirty minutes and then disappeared.
A report, featured in Project Blue Book’s files, by U.S. Navy commander Graham Bethune, dated February 10, 1951 in which he was flying a transport plane from Iceland to Argentina, and while in the vicinity of Newfoundland, he witnessed a “yellow globe that appeared as if we were approaching a city at night.” He estimated the length was about two aircraft carriers and width about the same. It shifted colors as it came up from the water, orange, red to purple-red, where it remained level with the craft for a time until it came towards them and then veered away. [https://youtu.be/1ATddbIQM98]
In the early 1950’s, a lead investigator for Project Blue Book, Air Force Lt. Colonel Richard French was dispatched to St. John’s on reports of a craft in the harbor. He estimated there were about 100 people watching from the shoreline, among them police officers. He said there were two circular craft that floated just below the waterline with beings standing on them appearing to be repairing the craft. The beings looked like a typical short grey alien. [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alien-beings-repaired-und_n_3240437]
https://youtu.be/wmK_MNXIowQ
Constable James Blackwood, known today for his viral raccoon feeding videos where he is known as “The Raccoon Whisperer,” witnessed a craft in the sky over Clarenville (it hovered over the northeast coast of Random Island) in October 1978. While at first thinking it was a jet flying overhead, using binoculars and a telescope he discerned very rapidly flashing blue lights on the sides of the object, and a singular white and red rapidly flashing light on top. Zooming in further he noted the bottom was completely illuminated. It stayed in the same location for approx. an hour and half until it moved side to side and up and down until it finally left the area. [https://youtu.be/LXmXIVOT4Fk]
The account called floating hotel
A former MUFON investigator, Lee Tizzard, recorded a report that a land surveyor witnessed an unidentified object with his two sons on the evening of October 26, 1995. The object was described as a “floating hotel”, with rows of windows lit up from the inside. The top and bottom, which were flat, appeared to be a silvery color, but then also appeared black at times. There were lights on the bottom and top that appeared to change colors, from blue to red, but he states that it may have been the rotation of the craft causing the vantage point to change and alter the colors as opposed to blinking. The witness said it was about 30 feet high and 50 feet in circumference, travelling 35-45 miles per hour. It rotated slowly. He watched it for a few minutes as it travelled across the St. John’s harbour and towards Signal Hill and then back towards Quidi Vidi Lake.
https://youtu.be/mXf_tBuxvzg
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Massive sphere
A recent account, dated November 17, 2020, at around 10:18-10:22 pm, was witnessed by a man named Alexander with his friend, Mike, which occurred in Hillgrade. While driving, the passenger, Mike, pointed up into the sky and towards an object they initially thought might be a shooting star. Realizing it was too slow to be a shooting star, and too fast to be an aircraft, it suddenly shot down towards a nearby house at an "unimaginable speed, and floated or hovered over the hill closest the road, to the left of that house." According to the witness it was a massive sphere, mostly black with reddish orange lava or plasma like material flowing in and out of it and had a black fog or haze enveloped around it. They drove right up and underneath it. As they passed it descended into the hill, and as it moved it emitted "the brightest red light imaginable from everywhere but nowhere at once," and as they drove down the road, the car suddenly shut off, though he noted the power steering still remained. Alexander reports his wife was able to recreate the scene as seen by the accompanying photo.
Current accounts are also reported to the website ufostalker.com and as recent as 2020, including triangular craft, orbs and other objects, it’s clear there’s a phenomenon that persists as witnesses begin to feel more compelled to share their encounters.
