I
am probably one of the worst people when it comes to promoting my work. I think
that others should do that and that each book should generate interest because
of what is in it rather than what I have to say about it. But, sometimes, there
are reasons to promote what I have written… and sometimes it is important to
report what others have done to make the book even better.
Such
is the case with Alien Mysteries,
Conspiracies and Cover-ups. One of those who was helping find illustrations
made a telephone call that I hadn’t thought about. He found a photograph that I
didn’t know existed.
Back
in April, 1897, the Cedar Rapids Evening
Gazette carried a story about a Great Airship that had fallen, crashed,
came to rest on the fairgrounds of Waterloo, Iowa. There was a human crew,
complete with a German professor, and a tale of tragedy.
There
was an airship on the ground, though no one, other than the crew, suggested it
have ever been off the ground. After hours of telling the story to all who
would listen, one of the men was recognized as a Waterloo resident and the tale
collapsed. The hoax was exposed.
I
had an illustration that appeared in the Cedar Rapids newspaper but since this
was a hoax I never made the trip to Waterloo… oh, but I should have. Imagine my
surprise and I first saw a photograph of the Waterloo airship from their
newspaper, the Waterloo Courier. Not
a drawing, wood cutting, or illustration. An actual photograph of the airship
sitting in the bright sunlight of the nineteenth century.
As
you can see, the Gazette drawing is
accurate, but then, it’s not the same as a photograph from the Courier… which might be the only
photograph of one of the Great Airships… and please note that I said, “Might.”
The
point… the photograph appears in the book. It isn’t the only photograph. There
are many, but it was the one that stunned me when I first saw it. Just never
thought there would be an actual photograph… but it does suggest something
about research. There is always another stone to be turned over, another
archive to search, and another government office to deny that anything is out
there.
For
those interested, the book Alien
Mysteries, Conspiracies and Cover-ups, should be available about now.
