The Union County Journal
Marysville, Ohio
July 10, 1947, front page
https://www.newspapers.com/image/324939471/
Weather Balloon is Found on Dover Township Farm
If those “flying discs” being seen all over the country turn out to be weather bureau observation balloons, then Leroy Leach, Dover township farmer will have the honor of having found one.
The balloon, with a kite-like device made of tin-foil glued to heavy paper attached underneath, landed on his farm approximately two weeks ago. Although not exactly certain what the device was, Mr. Leach suspected it was used in government experiments of some kind.
He kept it at his home as a curio until his cousin, Fred Lowe, of Delaware, visiting at the Leach home last Sunday [July 6], correctly identified the balloon and suggested the weather bureau might be interested in knowing where it had landed. Mr. Leach then brought it to Marysville Tuesday [July 8], to report on it to Russell S. Banks, local weather observer.
The balloon landed in a field which Mr. Leach was plowing during a heavy wind-storm. “The thing came in fast, driven hard by the wind, and hit the ground with such force that the sticks of the under-rigging were broken into several pieces,” he said.
When properly assembled, the tin-foil under-rigging is roughly shaped like a six-pointed star is about six feet across. This part was added to weather balloons recently when the weather bureau began following them with radar, rather than field glasses, the tin-foil showing up better on radar screens.
Several such balloons have been reported found over the country in recent days, since the “mystery of the flying saucers” began sweeping the nation.
