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COMMENTS ON SALISBURY INVESTIGATION
by Dale Kaczmarek
I read with great interest a text file which I recently downloaded
from Paranet-Alpha concerning the investigation into the Salisbury ghost
light phenomena conducted on November 20-21, 1976 and have a few
comments and criticisms to air out here.
I personally met Robert E. Jones, President of Vestigia, at the
1986 Fortfest conference held in Tyson's Corner, Virginia and he struck
me as being a very courteous, knowledgable, intelligent but somewhat
secretive person. I questioned him on several technical details of his
investigation into the Salisbury ghost light but received little in the
way of straight-forward answers. He did respond that this was the only
such phenomena (ghost lights), that he has ever investigated before or
since. The statement somewhat shocked me!
I have been aware of Vestigia for sometime and thought that they
dealt extensively with anomalous phenomena; UFOlogy, Ectomorphology and
the Paranormal in general. I got the distinct impression that this was
untrue while talking to Mr. Jones.
The untitled, unauthored text regarding this investigation was read
several times by myself and other senior members of the Ghost Research
Society which has investigated many similar lights including: Brown
Mountain Lights - North Carolina, Maco Light - North Carolina, Gurdon -
Arkansas, Maple Lake light - Willow Springs, Illinois, The Moody Light -
Francisville, Indiana, Watersmeet light - Michigan, Joplin Light -
Joplin, Missouri and others. I would just like to comment on a few items
in their investigation. I wish to state here and know, that I do not
intend to be critical of the tests performed or sound insulting to any
of the testers themselves. I only intend to enter my own doubts and
comments here for the record.
Being somewhat of an expert in infrared photography and since this
type of film was used as part of the investigation, I would just like to
add the following comments.
Normal color films have three emulsion layers, one sensitive to
red, green and blue. Infrared's are sensitive to infrared, red and green
wavelengths and using a yellow filter for color infrared work blocks out
the blue wavelengths to which these layers are also sensitive to. The
infrared sensitive emulsion in IR film is sensitive to wavelengths from
about 700 to about 900 NM, ( a NM - nanometer is equal to one billionth
of a meter), a range of about 200 NM. The visible spectrum consists of a
300 NM band from 400 to 700 NM. In this 300 NM band are all the
different colors of the spectrum.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that there are several
different IR "colors" in the 200 NM band between 700 and 900 NM,
"colors" that are different but invisible to our eyes. There is no way
to determine which of these infrared colors are being reflected by the
subject. There are many variables in IR color photography, the time of
day, weather conditions, subject matter, filters, etc.
Black and white high-speed IR photography is somewhat more
predictable. It is sensitive to ultraviolet and blue wavelengths, just
as all film is, but is also sensitive to red and infrared wavelengths. A
deep red filter (No. 25) is usually best to use because it absorbs blue
and ultraviolet wavelengths. By using different colored filters with
either black and white or color IR film, you can change the colors
captured on film and produce different results.
In general, IR film will detect and pick up phenomena of an
invisible nature, including, but not limited to: invisible light, heat
sources, IR radiation, stray energy sources, electrical stimulations,
and, depending on what filter you use, ultraviolet radiation.
No reference was made to what kinds of filters were used or the
effect that was captured on film. So, no determination can be made, at
this time, to exactly what, if anything, was captured on film.
There was also some results that tend to suggest the possibility of
piezoelectrical effects from quartz crystals under stress. While this is
an extreme possibility, it still is a somewhat rare and little
understood principle. I rather doubt that this could be causing the
lights to appear on so many occasions! While I understand that there may
indeed be a faultline running parallel to the tracks, other explanations
are also possible.
One possible explanation could be a temperature inversion layer
caused by the heat released from the hot railroad tracks which would
collide with the cooler surrounding air and cause mirages to form. If
the lights were photographed through polarized lens and the light didn't
polarize then it means it's not a reflection. A galvanometer would also
be another good test to see if any electromagnetic current was being
released at the times the light was visible.
The drop in barometric pressure could simply have been caused a
localized low-pressure system. The testers did report a light snowfall
directly followed the lights disappearance. There is nothing strange
about a sudden drop in pressure followed by a snowfall. Especially
nothing that could be attributed to the light. The testers also
suggested that the lights effect was enhanced by those conditions, which
I find highly improbable.
I suggest that further tests be conducted with different types of
equipment and we will be visiting the Salisbury area during the month of
October, 1987. We will publish our findings here.
All in all, the investigation was well coordinated, professionally
handled, however I feel that some incorrect conclusions may have been
drawn from the results. I would, however, be willing to change my
opinions given additional information and further test findings.
Dale Kaczmarek, President, Ghost Research Society, PO Box 205, Oaklawn,
Illinois, 60454-0205, (312)425-5163.