On the night of April 5, 1800, a PHENOMENON was observed passing over Baton Rouge, of which the following is the best description I have been able to gather. It appeared in the South West and travelled so quickly that it passed above the heads of onlookers, disappearing in the North East in less than a quarter of a minute. It looked to be the size of a huge home, measuring 70 or 80 feet long and having a shape similar to
Fig. 5 in Plate iv. It looked to be around 200 yards above the earth’s surface, completely light but without releasing sparks, and of a blood red colour, similar to the sun approaching the horizon on a cold frosty evening. The light on the surface of the earth was a little short of the effect of sunbeams when flowing immediately over the heads of the viewers, while the stars were visible when gazing another direction, which seems to be a support of the conclusion made of its modest height.
A significant amount of heat was felt while passing, but no electric feeling. A furious rushing noise was heard immediately after it vanished toward the north east, as if the phenomena was tearing through the forest ahead of it, and in a few seconds, an enormous smash was heard, comparable to that of the greatest piece of ordnance, generating a very noticeable earthquake. I’ve been told that a search has been conducted in the area where the flaming corpse landed, and that a large amount of the earth’s surface has been torn up, and that every vegetative body has been burnt or greedily scorched. I have yet to get responses to a number of enquiries I have put out, which might potentially provide further information.
Note: The aforementioned transmission was accompanied with an excerpt from Dr Hook’s papers detailing the initial creation of the Telegraph. Mr. Dunbar was persuaded to send this passage to the Society because he believed it had received less attention than it deserved. However, it was thought unnecessary to publish the Paper, as shown by its appearance in the above-mentioned publications, and by Dr. Birch’s reference to it in the Royal Society’s history, Vol. 4th, page 299.