Sunday, Jun 03, 2012 at 21:57
DP - There's a bloke named
John Clydesdale who used to be the motoring writer for the West Australian Newspaper. He got interested in the history of the first recorded road train delivered to Australia - in 1858!
This road train was a Bray Steam Traction engine and 3 trailers destined for use at the Geraldine Lead Mine, on the
Murchison River, just NE of
Kalbarri.
John got so interested in this traction engine and the story associated with it, that he wrote a book about it - "Pioneer of the Road" (ISBN- 0-9580547-0-3).
Whilst doing research on the engine, he camped at the Geraldine Mine. He set up his 2-man tent with a mate, right alongside the river, under the sheoaks and river gums, and they went to sleep.
Just before first light, he was awakened by a sharp object being prodded into his tent, just above his eyes, where he was lying.
Wide awake within seconds, he watched as this sharp instrument, like a knife or bayonet, still poking into the canvas tent material, travelled in a dead straight line down the tent wall, towards his feet. He elbowed his mate, who whispered "I'm awake!! I can see it!!"
The sharp indentation travelled slowly down the tent wall, in a perfectly straight line, then stopped at the end of the wall, and then was swiftly withdrawn.
Almost immediately, a strange dull light appeared on the opposite wall of the tent, above their feet.
This strange light was described as being the size of a basketball, and comprised of three intermingling colours, green and blue predominant, with a touch of red.
John writes that the light resembled three coloured stage lights focused on the canvas tent wall, but revolving slowly and intermingling.
He wrote that the light somewhat resembled car headlights shining onto the tent from a distance - but revolving.
John and his mate had a .22 rifle and
spotlight in the tent with them, and they both decided to get out of the tent, quick smart.
His mate grabbed the
spotlight, and
John untied the door ties and they both stumbled out into the dark. They turned on the
spotlight and shone it in every direction - but there was nothing!
No other cars, no sign of human life, no footprints where the "knife" was drawn along the outside of the tent wall, no branches that could have created the indentation. There wasn't even any roads or tracks on that side of the tent. Just an open area with scattered trees.
They decided they must have been visited by the ghost of a miner who had been trapped by a flood in the mine and who drowned.
Then, a short while later they found a library reference. "The Geraldine Mine site is reputed to be haunted by a ghost" .... !!
AnswerID:
487552