Nov. 19, 1974
Officials deny military probe
of Carbondale UFO
On Nov. 9, 1974, something fell from the sky and landed in a silt pond near Russell Park in Carbondale. Was it a UFO? Was it a Soviet missile?
People were looking for answers. An Air Force spokesman told The Scranton Times, “The Air Force is not investigating the Carbondale incident.”
But Robert Barry of the 20th Century UFO Bureau in New Jersey told The Times, “The military had been in touch with acting Police Chief Francis Dottle of the Carbondale Police Department on the possibility of a downed Russian missile.”
Dottle’s response to Barry’s claim: “Never, at any time.”
A dive team searched the pond and found an electric lantern. After that discovery, Carbondale police closed the case on the UFO sighting, calling it a hoax.
Greyhound strike halts local service
Local Greyhound Bus employees joined their brethren in a nationwide strike on Nov. 18. The 26 local employees, all drivers, walked off the job at 4 p.m.
Greyhound terminal manager Edward Rojek said “no passengers were stranded as a result of the strike.” He said those who arrived aboard Greyhound buses after 4 p.m. were taken to the Martz-Capitol Trailways terminal to continue their journeys.
Negotiations between the union and the company were taking place in Phoenix, but talks broke down just before the strike was called.
Sale at Sugerman’s
Ladies sportswear separates priced between $6.97 and $11.97; boys cuffed flared dress-up jeans, $2.33; men’s warmup jackets, $18.99; compact 8-track car stereo, $22.88; Spirit of ’76 eight-piece glass set, $2.88; and a tin of throat lozenges, 64 cents.
BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-
Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history.
Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or
570-348-9140.