UFO Leaves Physical Trace in Florida 1952
One of the best and well documented UFO trace cases occurred on August 19th 1952 in Florida when Scoutmaster D.S Des Vergers of West Palm Beach, Florida was driving three scouts home. He turned off the coastal highway and down the inland back top to go where on of the boys lived. After he had travelled about ten miles inland he noticed a bright light in the palmetto thickets. He first passed by it, but then stopped down the road and turned the car around to go back. He really hesitated doing this but he could not help think the light could be a fire, maybe indicating a crashed plane nearby. Verges stopped the car, and got out to proceed to the scene of the bright lights. The scouts were afraid to be alone in the dark but Verges headed toward the thick bush not to far from the road. Verges disappeared into the waist-high thickets. As he did the first thing he noticed was the bad odour. Using his machete to clear his way with one hand his other held his flashlight to show the way through the dark he carried a second flashlight on his person. The boys were waiting in the car and could see the beam of their Scoutmasters flashlight through the bushes. Knowing he was being tracked by his flashlight he shined it up into the canopy of some of the trees as he proceeded toward the unknown light that had caused him to stop on the road.
As he reached an opening in the brush, he paused for a moment to signal back to the boys still waiting in the car. As he did he was suddenly overcome by an intensely humid heat. He glanced up into the clear night sky to get his bearings, but to his surprise the many stars he had seen only a few moments ago were gone directly above him and something was blocking the view. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the large, oval object which was hovering only 30 feet above him. As he slowly moved away from the scary sight he shined the flashlight toward the object he could now make out the concave bottom of a smooth, round craft with a dome on the top. He continued to slowly move back from the object until he heard a sound which froze him in his very tracks. The sound he head was a large metal door closing he now found himself surrounded by a mysterious red mist which made him become unconscious.
The three in the car, Bobby Ruffing, Chuck Stevens and David Rowan could see their role model surrounded by what they could best describe as a “big red ball of fire” they got scared and left the car and ran as fast as they could down the road to a house. Finding a farmer they told him what they had seen. The farmer called the state police and they arrived as soon as possible. Deputy Sheriff Mott Partin picked up the boys and drove back to the car. As they arrived they saw Vergers racing from the wooden area. Partin said that Vergers was more scared than anyone he had ever seen. The other officers who accompanied Partin ran into the area vacated by the scared Scoutmaster. Finding one of his flashlights still burning they also noticed the grass was flattened near the flashlight. The master’s second flashlight was never found.
When Vergers arrived at police HQ the officers noticed that Vergers hands, arms, face and cap were all burned. Although officers were doubtful of the red mist account, they believed the rest of Vergers account which was enough to call in the Air Force. Edward J Ruppelt was heading the Air Force’s Project Bluebook at the time, and was impressed enough to take an investigative group to Florida to question Vergers. He was accompanied by Second Lieutenant Robert M Olsson, and two captains, Hoey and Davis. Ruppelt interviewed Vergers several times, and said that Vergers remembered details very well and did not respond in a rehearsed manner he also felt that Vergers was telling the truth. An Air Force surgeon did an examination on Vergers and determined that his wounds were indicative of a mild sunburn. There were singed hairs, burns on his face and arms, and also his nostrils showed signs of being burned by a “flash heat source” At the scene of the event, Rippelt could find nothing to invalidate Vergers account although there were no apparent signs of scorched earth of grass. Later it was revealed after tests at Dayton, Ohio that the roots of sample grass taken at the scene were charred. Also Vergers cap showed signs of being damaged by “sparks of some kind” the three boys confirmed the cap was not burned before the encounter.
Written by Sam Willey