Airship Passed Here
Source: Wood County Reporter. April 15, 1897. Page 1.
That mystifying and strange airship, balloon, meteor, tailless comet, wandering star, headlight of some great evil spirit, or whatnot, that has been cutting up so many antics in the western heavens during the last two weeks, passed over our cities Sunday night at about 9 o’clock, watched by many reputable citizens. Papers all over the country have been full of “airships” lately and this thing must be a swift traveler or else there are many of them just alike, working simultaneously on the same string over numerous states. Of course, there were a few excited persons here who could plainly discern a frame work of some sort surrounding the red light which shone with flickering lustre. This has been a high flown night bird, but whatever its nature, is now a rather common sight even to the inhabitants of earth. The peculiar strange has been clearly visible in the twin cities on two or three different evenings, and no practical joker has sent up balloons or anything of that nature either.
