>> IT'S ONE OF THE GREATEST
MYSTERIES IN UFO HISTORY... A WELL ON THE LONELY TEXAS
PRAIRIE, AND AN OLD WEST CEMETERY THAT MAY CONTAIN PROOF
THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE. IN 1897, SOMETHING ALLEGEDLY
CRASHES IN TEXAS 6 YEARS BEFORE THE INVENTION OF THE AIRPLANE.
SOMEONE OR SOMETHING IS FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE. WHO OR WHAT IS
BURIED IN AN UNMARKED GRAVE? >> SO THE STONE WOULD HAVE BEEN,
YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE IN THIS AREA.
>> CRASH DEBRIS IS SEALED IN A WELL AND REMAINS OFF LIMITS...
>> THERE'S SOMETHING MOVING DOWN THERE.
>> UNTIL NOW. >> WE'VE GOT AN ELEMENT THERE,
BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. >> THIS IS CASE NUMBER 1897-201:
AURORA, TEXAS; FIRST CONTACT. >> ♪ YEAH,
I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE, THE ONLY ONE ♪
>> ON APRIL 17, 1897, THE PEOPLE OR AURORA, TEXAS LOOKED SKYWARD
TO SOMETHING THEY'D NEVER SEEN BEFORE--A FLYING MACHINE. AT
6:00 AM, CITIZENS REPORT SEEING A CIGAR-SHAPED CRAFT TRAVELING
DUE NORTH OVER THE TOWN. >> TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT
THIS CASE. >> THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY
HISTORICAL, INFAMOUS, MYSTERIOUS CASE--ONE OF THE STRANGEST CASES
IN ALL UFOLOGY--BECAUSE THIS CASE HAPPENED BEFORE THERE WAS
UFOLOGY. NOBODY REALLY KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED.
>> ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE CRAFT APPEARS TO BE IN TROUBLE.
IT SLAMS INTO A WINDMILL ON A HIGH BLUFF. THE COLLISION AND
RESULTING EXPLOSION RAINS FLAMING DEBRIS OVER ACRES
OF LAND. AT THE SITE, CURIOUS ONLOOKERS
DISCOVER DEBRIS THAT RESEMBLES A MIXTURE OF ALUMINUM AND
SILVER, AND IN THE TWISTED WRECKAGE, A GRISLY FIND--
A DIMINUTIVE AND UNEARTHLY BODY. A LOCAL MILITARY MAN CLAIMS THE
DEAD PILOT IS A MARTIAN. NEWSPAPERMAN S.E. HAYDON REPORTS
THE STORY IN THE<i> DALLAS MORNING</i> <i>NEWS.</i> HIS COLUMN INCLUDES THE
TOWNSPEOPLE'S PLAN TO BURY WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS AN ALIEN PILOT
IN THE LOCAL CEMETERY. >> ALLEGEDLY AN ALIEN WAS BURIED
BACK IN 1897. A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THAT THERE'S A GRAVE THERE,
UH, AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE A LOT OF WITNESSES WHO SAY
THERE ISN'T. SO THERE'S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CONFUSION OR
DISAGREEMENT. >> SHOCKINGLY, THIS ISN'T AN
ISOLATED EVENT. NEWSPAPERS AROUND THE COUNTRY RUN SIMILAR
STORIES OF STRANGE AIRSHIPS BEING SIGHTED FROM CALIFORNIA TO
THE EAST COAST: SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA; TACOMA, WASHINGTON;
HASTINGS, NEBRASKA; CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI;
DECATUR, MICHIGAN; WATERLOO, IOWA. HUNDREDS OF SIGHTINGS WERE
CLAIMED THROUGHOUT MULTIPLE STATES, WITH 108 REPORTED IN
TEXAS ALONE. 6 YEARS BEFORE THE INVENTION OF THE AIRPLANE,
AMERICANS ARE SEEING SOMETHING IN THEIR SKIES.
>> WELL, THIS CASE HAS BEEN OPEN FOR OVER 100 YEARS. I MEAN,
OBVIOUSLY IT'S DIFFICULT TO SOLVE. I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT'S THE HOLD-UP. >> WELL, WE'RE STANDING AT THE
HOLD-UP, PAT. THIS IS IT. EVERY SINGLE INVESTIGATION HAS STOPPED
RIGHT HERE, RIGHT AT THIS VERY SPOT.
>> ACCORDING TO LORE, THE CRASH DEBRIS IS CLEARED FROM THE
LAND, BUT A SMALL PORTION IS DUMPED IN THIS ABANDONED WELL.
NEARLY 50 YEARS LATER, PEOPLE WHO DRINK FROM THE WELL ARE
STRICKEN WITH A STRANGE ILLNESS, AS SEEN IN THIS PICTURE--ONE
THAT MISSHAPES AND ALTERS THEIR BODIES. IN THE 1950s, THE WELL
IS SEALED. FOR YEARS, EVERY ATTEMPT TO OPEN IT IS TURNED
DOWN BY THE PROPERTY OWNERS, UNTIL NOW. LESS THAN 3 MILES
FROM THE WELL IS THE AURORA CEMETERY. ACCORDING TO LOCAL
LEGEND, AND REFERENCED IN HAYDON'S 1897 NEWSPAPER ARTICLE,
SOMEWHERE AMONGST THESE GRAVES MAY LIE THE UNMARKED PLOT OF THE
REPORTED ALIEN PILOT. >> NUMBER ONE, I NEED TO GET
INTO THAT GRAVEYARD AND SEE IF I CAN LOCATE THIS MYSTERIOUS
GRAVE SITE. NUMBER TWO, I NEED TO GET EVIDENCE FROM DOWN INSIDE
OF THE WELL AND ANALYZE SOIL SAMPLES AND WATER SAMPLES TO SEE
IF THERE'S ANYTHING UNUSUAL DOWN THERE.
>> IN A SEARCH FOR ANSWERS, PAT USKERT WILL INVESTIGATE THE
MYSTERIOUS WELL. >> THERE'S REALLY ONLY ONE WAY
TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS WELL, AND THAT'S TO GET DOWN
IN THERE. >> BILL BIRNES WILL STAY TOPSIDE
TO COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL HISTORIANS AND INVESTIGATE
THE CRASH SITE. >> WERE THERE ANY HOT SPOTS OF
ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HAVE CRASHED HERE, ANYTHING ANOMALOUS?
>> DR. TED ACKWORTH WILL MOVE TO THE CEMETERY TO TRY AND LOCATE
THE ACTUAL GRAVE AND INVESTIGATE THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LEGENDARY
BURIED ALIEN BY USING GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR.
>> WE'RE TRYING TO ESTABLISH THE X-MARKS-THE-SPOT FOR WHERE
ALLEGEDLY AND ALIEN WAS BURIED. >> BEFORE UNCAPPING THE WELL,
PAT MEETS WITH THE CURRENT PROPERTY OWNER, TIM OATES.
NUMEROUS UFO RESEARCHERS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO VALIDATE THE AURORA
CRASH, BUT THE OATES FAMILY HAS BEEN RELUCTANT TO DAMAGE THE
WELL. UFO HUNTERS WILL BE THE FIRST TO GO INSIDE.
>> NOW, YOU KNOW THIS IS A MAJOR PART OF UFO HISTORY THAT
YOU HAVE HERE IN YOUR BACKYARD. >> YES.
>> CAN YOU TELL ME WHEN EXACTLY THIS THING WAS CAPPED?
>> YES, IT SHOWS RIGHT HERE IN 1957, SO IT'S BEEN SEALED.
>> WE KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THIS THING HAS BEEN SEALED FOR OVER
50 YEARS, AND WE UNCAP THIS, WE'LL BE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO
GO IN. >> YES.
>> I DON'T BELIEVE ANY PART OF THIS STORY.
>> IT WAS JUST A GOOD STORY, LIKE--KINDA LIKE MAYBE<i>
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.</i> >> TODAY SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THE
AURORA MYSTERY IS FICTION PUT FORWARD BY A NEWSPAPERMAN TRYING
TO PUT HIS TOWN ON THE MAP. DEBUNKERS CLAIM THERE HAS NEVER
BEEN ANY PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF A CRASH, THAT THE WINDMILL THE
SHIP CRASHED INTO NEVER EXISTED, AND THE ALIEN BURIAL SITE IS
NOTHING MORE THAN RURAL LEGEND. JAMES MARS, A LOCAL UFO
RESEARCHER AND HISTORIAN, HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THIS CASE
SINCE THE EARLY 1970s. >> WHEN I FIRST WENT OUT THERE,
NOBODY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING, AND THEY SAID NOTHING
HAPPENED. >> ALL THE NAY-SAYERS ARE SAYING
IT NEVER HAPPENED, BYT BECAUSE THE TOWN WAS DYING, THEY NEEDED
SOMETHING TO COME UP WITH A STORY TO MAKE THIS TOWN
A TOURIST TRAP, AND THAT'S WHY HAYDON WROTE THE ARTICLE IN
THE FIRST PLACE. >> BUT THERE MAY BE MORE TO THIS
STORY--PROOF OF A LINEAGE THAT STRETCHES INTO THE MODERN AGE.
MAY 25, 1995--AN AMERICA WEST 757 ENCOUNTERS A SIMILAR
CIGAR-SHAPED OBJECT WITH LIGHTS DOWN THE SIDE FLYING OVER THE
PANHANDLE OF TEXAS. THIS IS THE ACTUAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
RECORDING OF AMERICA WEST FLIGHT 564 FROM THAT NIGHT.
MAY 13, 1981--7 WITNESSES REPORT SEEING A CIGAR-SHAPED SHIP WITH
PORTHOLES OVER NORTHERN TEXAS. ONE OF THE WITNESSES REPORTED
THE CRAFT TO HAVE GREEN AND YELLOW PULSATING LIGHTS. ANOTHER
TOOK TIME TO SKETCH WHAT HE CLAIMED TO SEE. AND, OF COURSE,
THE APRIL 17, 1897 AURORA SIGHTING.
>> WE WANT TO PUT THE 1897 AURORA AIRSHIP STORY INTO THE
CONTEXT OF ALL THE HISTORICAL AIRSHIP ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA IN
THE LATE 19th CENTURY. >> THE FIRST FULL-SIZED MAN-MADE
AIRCRAFT IS CREDITED TO HENRI GISSARD. THE FRENCH ENGINEER
BUILT A 144-FOOT CIGAR-SHAPED STEAM-POWERED MODEL IN 1852.
>> DID AIRSHIPS LOOK LIKE FLYING SAUCERS? THEY HAD WINGS.
THEY WERE FLYING CYLINDERS. >> BUT TO TRAVEL THE LENGTH OF
THE COUNTRY WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE FOR ONE OF THESE
EARLY STEAM-POWERED CRAFT. WERE THE PEOPLE IN AMERICA SEEING AN
ADVANCED PROTOTYPE, OR WAS IT SOMETHING COMPLETELY
OTHERWORLDLY? ANOTHER KEY ANGLE TO THE AURORA
STORY IS THE LEGEND OF THE ALIEN BURIED IN THE LOCAL GRAVEYARD.
>> BACK IN '73, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THERE WAS SOME SORT OF
GRAVE THERE, AND AT THAT TIME, THE LITTLE HEADSTONE WAS STILL
IN EXISTENCE, AND IT WAS VERY UNUSUAL.
>> AND YOU JUST SAW IT WITH YOUR OWN EYES.
>> YES. IT WAS PROBABLY SANDSTONE, AND IT WAS ONLY ABOUT
THAT HIGH. AND IT HAD A "V" ETCHED INTO IT WITH LITTLE
CIRCLES. ONE SIDE WAS ABRUPTLY BROKEN OFF, AND I THINK THERE
HAD BEEN ANOTHER PORTION TO IT. AND IF YOU EXTRAPOLATE THIS SIDE
OVER TO THIS SIDE, YOU GET A SAUCER OBJECT WITH LITTLE
PORTHOLES. >> OH! OK, OK.
>> OK? BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY THERE. WHY DON'T THEY EXHUME THE
GRAVE, A VERY COMMON PRACTICE, AND THEN WE'D KNOW FOR SURE WHAT
WAS GOING ON? WELL, A SERIES OF EVENTS HAPPENED. THEY DIDN'T
WANT ANYBODY OPENING GRAVES. THEY PUT A POLICE GUARD UP,
YADA YADA. A COUPLE OF WEEKS WENT BY. THE EXCITEMENT DIED
DOWN. THE VERY NIGHT THAT THEY PULL THE POLICE CAR, THE LITTLE
HEADSTONE WENT MISSING AND HAS NOT BEEN SEEN SINCE.
>> DR. TED ACKWORTH AND ARCHAEOLOGIST GARTH BALDWIN KNOW
FINDING THE REPORTED GRAVE SITE IS THE FIRST STEP IN UNRAVELING
THE AURORA MYSTERY. >> WELL, THESE ALL LOOK LIKE
NEWER GRAVE STONES. WE NEED TO FIND THE OLDEST PART OF THE
GRAVEYARD. >> OK, WELL THEY BUILT IN
SECTIONS, SO WE PROBABLY OUGHT TO GO OVER THERE TO THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE HILL. >> YEP, THOSE LOOK OLDER. LOOK
AT THIS ONE--1891. >> WE'RE GETTING THERE. THAT'S,
UH, THAT'S ABOUT RIGHT. >> THIS IS DEFINITELY THE RIGHT
AREA OF THE GRAVEYARD. WHY DON'T WE SET UP THE LAPTOP OVER HERE
AND SEE IF WE CAN MATCH ANY PICTURES?
>> AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO LOCATE THE MISSING GRAVE USING HISTORIC
PHOTOS. ONE OF THE IMAGES WAS TAKEN IN THE EARLY 1970s AND
SHOWS THE ACTUAL HEADSTONE. THE OTHER IS FROM A FILM SHOT IN THE
EARLY 1990s OF AN EYEWITNESS KNEELING WHERE THE MARKER
ONCE STOOD. >> HERE WE HAVE FEATURES IN OUR
PHOTOGRAPHS THAT SHOULD BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH SOME BASIC
REFERENCE POINTS, AND FROM THERE WE CAN TRIANGULATE THE POSITION.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S THE GRAVE STONE NEXT TO IT?
>> I THINK THAT'S THE BLEDSOE MARKER. THIS PART OF THE
CEMETERY FITS REALLY WELL WITH THE STORY ABOUT THE PILOT BEING
BURIED IN ABOUT 1897. THERE'S GRAVE MARKERS IN AND AROUND US
THAT ARE 1897, BUT THERE'S NO GRAVE MARKERS WITHIN ABOUT 15 OR
20 FEET OF THE LOCATION WHERE SUPPOSEDLY THE PILOT WAS BURIED.
SO WE HAVE A BIG BLANK SPOT, BUT ALL AROUND IT ARE MARKERS THAT
ARE DATED AT 1897, 1885, 1894. SO IT ALL RELATIVELY FITS
THIS SPACE. >> TED AND GARTH SCRUTINIZE THE
PHOTOGRAPHS...THEN SUCCESS. THEY THINK THEY'VE FOUND THE EXACT
POSITION WHERE THEY WERE TAKEN. >> LET'S GET OUT THE MARKERS IN
A LINE AND SEE IF WE CAN ESTABLISH ONE OF THE VECTORS OUT
OF THESE FRAMES. >> OK.
>> LET'S START WITH THE PLAQUE AS OUR FIRST REFERENCE POINT. IF
YOU CAN WALK OUT AND TAG THAT AND START THE LINE...
>> WITH ONE LINE ON THE GROUND, TED AND GARTH TURN TO ANOTHER
PHOTOGRAPH TO GET A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE.
>> THE PERSPECTIVE IS THAT WE'RE LOOKING UNDERNEATH, SO WE'RE
DEFINITELY BEHIND THIS BACK HERE. SEE, FROM HERE WE'RE NOW
LOOKING UNDERNEATH THIS LIMB. I THINK THIS IS ABOUT IT HERE.
THAT'S OUR SPOT RIGHT THERE. >> LET'S TAKE A LOOK HERE.
>> ALL RIGHT, WE'RE READY FOR THE GPR.
>> WITH THE LOCATION MARKED, TED WILL RETURN WITH 21st CENTURY
RADAR THAT MAY REVEAL PROOF OF A 19th CENTURY ALIEN CONTACT.
>> APRIL 17, 1897. PEOPLE IN THE SMALL TOWN OF AURORA, TEXAS FIND
THEMSELVES INVOLVED IN ONE OF AMERICA'S FIRST REPORTED UFO
CASES. ACCORDING TO LOCAL REPORTER S.E. HAYDON,
A CIGAR-SHAPED AIRSHIP STRUCK A WINDMILL AND BURST INTO
FLAMES, SCATTERING DEBRIS OVER ACRES. BILL BIRNES BRINGS
ARCHAEOLOGIST GARTH BALDWIN TO THE ALLEGED CRASH SITE. CURRENT
PROPERTY OWNER TIM OATES MEETS THE INVESTIGATORS WITH SOMETHING
STRANGE FOUND BY HIS SON. >> WELL, I BROUGHT OUT SOME
METAL THAT MY SON DYLAN FOUND MELTED ON THE ROCKS UNDER
THE DIRT. >> TELL ME, WHERE EXACTLY DID
HE FIND IT? >> RIGHT HERE.
>> WHY HERE? >> STORY WAS THAT IT HIT
A WINDMILL, COME DOWN AND IMPACTED THE GROUND, SPRAYED UP
AND HIT THAT TREE RIGHT HERE IN THE BACKGROUND.
>> IS THAT--'CAUSE LIKE ONE SIDE OF IT LOOKS DEAD, LIKE THOSE
BRANCHES ARE DEAD OVER THERE. >> AND DISCOLORED.
>> TIM HANDED OVER TO US SOME PIECES OF METAL THAT HIS SON
DYLAN FOUND AND FOUND MELTED IN THE VERY AREA THAT TIM SAID HE
HAD HEARD WHEN HE WAS A CHILD WAS THE PLACE WHERE THE
OBJECT HIT. >> IT'S DEFINITELY MOLTEN. IT'S
BEEN MELTED. IT, UH, IT LOOKS A BIT LIKE ALUMINUM.
>> SURPRISINGLY, S.E. HAYDON'S NEWSPAPER ARTICLE REPORTING THE
CRASH IN 1897 CLAIMS THE AIRSHIP WAS BUILT OF AN UNKNOWN METAL
RESEMBLING A MIXTURE OF SILVER AND ALUMINUM.
>> IT'S KIND OF HEAVY. IT'S A BIT HEAVY FOR ALUMINUM.
ALUMINUM YOU THINK IS A LITTLE LIGHTER, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S
THAT THIN AND SMALL. >> ACCORDING TO THE LEGEND, THIS
IS WHERE THE CRASH SITE IS. THE ARTIFACTS THAT ARE HERE
REPRESENT THE PERIOD OF TIME WHEN THAT WAS TO TAKE PLACE UP
TO THE MODERN PERIOD. SO IF-- IF THOSE ARTIFACTS EXIST OUT
HERE, THIS IS WHERE THEY SHOULD BE. WELL, THE METAL DETECTOR
SHOULD HELP US FIND ANY METAL FROM THE WINDMILL OR ANY OF THE
HISTORIC ACTIVITIES THAT WERE OUT HERE, AND MAYBE IDENTIFY
SOME, UH--SOME OF THE STUFF THAT'S IN THE GROUND.
[METAL DETECTOR BEEP] >> THERE'S A BIG ONE. IF WE DIG
SOME SHOVEL PROBES--WE'LL IDENTIFY SOME LOCATIONS, WE'LL
DIG SOME SHOVEL PROBES, WE'LL SCREEN THE DIRT, SEE WHAT WE
COME OUT WITH. >> ACCORDING TO THE 1897
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE, THE CRAFT "COLLIDED WITH THE TOWER OF
JUDGE PROCTOR'S WINDMILL." IN FACT, LOCAL RECORDS PROVE
THAT A JUDGE J.S. PROCTOR DID OWN THE PROPERTY.
[METAL DETECTOR BEEPING] >> THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF STUFF.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF FLAGS. I THINK WE--WE GOT A GOOD SCAN
OF THE AREA. WE CAN START DIGGING SOME HOLES. GRAB
A SHOVEL AND SCREEN. >> SURVEYORS' DOCUMENTS FROM THE
ERA SHOW LITTLE DETAIL, AND NO STRUCTURE'S APPEAR TO BE BUILT
ON JUDGE PROCTOR'S LAND. ANY INDICATION OF A WINDMILL IS
CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT. MANY SKEPTICS POINT TO THE
NON-EXISTENT WINDMILL, A KEY ELEMENT TO THE CRASH STORY,
AS PROOF OF A HOAX. >> SQUARE NAIL. THAT COMES
BEFORE THE TURN OF THE LAST CENTURY, SO BEFORE THE TURN OF
THE 1900s. >> SO IF WE'RE FINDING NAILS
FROM THE 1890s, IT MEANS THAT SOMETHING THAT HIT THIS PLACE IN
1897 MIGHT STILL BE HERE. >> ACCORDING TO LOCAL LEGEND,
JUDGE PROCTOR EVENTUALLY CLEARED HIS LAND OF CRASHED DEBRIS. NO
RECORDS INDICATE WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE DEBRIS WAS
TAKEN, BUT A PORTION WAS REPORTEDLY DUMPED INTO THE
ABANDONED WELL. DESPITE THEIR BEST EFFORTS, EVERYTHING BILL
AND GARTH FIND CAN BE EXPLAINED. WITH NOTHING FOUND ON THE
SURFACE, THE FOCUS MUST NOW TURN TO THE WELL. TIM JOINS PAT TO
BEGIN BREAKING GROUND. >> WELL, IT'S BEEN A FAMILY
MYSTERY AND TOWN MYSTERY HERE IN AURORA. NOW IT'S TIME TO GET TO
THE BOTTOM OF IT. >> TO GET TO THE BOTTOM, WE
MIGHT AS WELL KEEP DIGGING THEN. >> KEEP DIGGING.
>> BUT WITH THE FIRST SHOVELS FULL OF EARTH, PAT AND TIM
UNCOVER A CLUE. >> ONE OF THE MAJOR DEBUNKER
ARGUMENTS IS THAT AN AIRSHIP COULDN'T HAVE GONE INTO JUDGE
PROCTOR'S WINDMILL 'CAUSE THERE NEVER WAS A WINDMILL.
>> LOOKS LIKE I GOT SOMETHING HERE.
>> ME, TOO. >> WHY WOULD THEY PUT THESE
THINGS HERE FOR A WELL? >> THOSE ARE FOR A WINDMILL
STAND. >> THIS WOULD BE CONNECTED
TO THE WINDMILL? >> YES, TO THE TOWER.
>> OR IT MAY HAVE BEEN AT ONE TIME.
>> THE WINDMILL OVER THE TOP OF THE WELL.
>> EVEN MODERN WINDMILLS, LIKE THE ONE SEEN HERE, USE METAL
STANDS TO SUPPORT AND ANCHOR THE STRUCTURE TO THE GROUND.
>> YOUR FAMILY HAS BEEN ON THIS LAND SINCE, WHAT, 1935?
>> YES. >> UH, DO YOU GUYS REMEMBER
ANYTHING ABOUT A WINDMILL? >> I NEVER SEEN NO WINDMILL, AND
MY FAMILY NEVER TALKED ABOUT SEEING NO WINDMILL HERE.
>> SO YOUR FAMILY NEVER KNEW OF THE WINDMILL.
>> NO, ONLY THE WELL. THAT'S PROOF THAT THERE WAS A WINDMILL
HERE. YOU GOT FOUR WINDMILL STOPS STICKING UP TO HOLD THE
LEGS ON THE TOWER. >> AS PAT CONTINUES TO UNCOVER
MORE CLUES, TED HOPES TO MOVE THE INVESTIGATION FORWARD BY
EXAMINING THE STRANGE METAL FOUND AT THE SITE.
>> JUST UPON INITIAL LOOK ON IT, TO ME IT'S--IT'S A SHINY,
METALLIC KIND OF MATERIAL. UH, IT'S VERY AMORPHOUS, SO IT LOOKS
LIKE PERHAPS IT HAD MELTED AT ONE POINT, AND THEN HARDENED.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOT A LOT OF CONTAMINANTS ON ITS SURFACE
AND IT'S BEEN--COULD HAVE BEEN SITTING OUTDOORS FOR
A LONG TIME. >> TED TAKES THE METAL TO DAVID
DIRKS IN THE ELECTRON MICROSCOPE LAB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH
TEXAS FOR ANALYSIS. >> I GOT THE SAMPLE.
>> OK. >> THE FIRST THING I WANT TO DO
IS PUT IT UNDER VERY HIGH MAGNIFICATION AND MAYBE FIND OUT
WHAT IT'S MADE OF. >> FOR TED, THE MOST CRITICAL
STEP IS IDENTIFYING THE INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS THAT MAKE UP
THE SAMPLE. IS IT IRON, ZINC, OR SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNKNOWN?
THE INSTRUMENT WILL BOMBARD THE SAMPLE WITH X-RAYS. THE ELEMENTS
WILL EMIT RADIATION--INDIVIDUAL THUMBPRINTS THAT WILL SHOW UP ON
THE GRAPH. >> RIGHT AWAY WE COULD TELL THIS
WAS ALUMINUM. THAT'S THE HIGHEST PEAK. IT'S THE PRIMARY COMPONENT
OF THE SAMPLE. THAT'S AN OPEN AND SHUT CASE. WE GOT
ALUMINUM HERE. >> THE ADDITIONAL BARS ON THE
GRAPH REPRESENT ADDITIONAL TRACE ELEMENTS IN THE SAMPLE, BUT THE
TEST REVEALS SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.
>> WHAT'S THAT ONE, THAT LARGER PEAK? MAYBE WE DISCOVERED
A BRAND NEW ELEMENT. COULD IT BE CONTAMINANTS ON THE SURFACE?
LIKE, SAY WE HAD A PIECE OF ALUMINUM THAT WAS HEATED,
COOLED, AND LEFT OUT FOR 100 YEARS. COULD WE HAVE PICKED UP
CONTAMINANTS FROM THE SOIL? >> EVEN IF WE DID, IT SHOULD
CORRESPOND TO SOME ELEMENT THAT WE COULD MATCH HERE.
>> SO WE'RE GETTING A PEAK, AND WE CAN'T IDENTIFY WHAT IT IS.
>> NOT FOR SURE. >> THAT'S INTERESTING.
>> AN UNKNOWN ELEMENT WOULD LEND CREDENCE TO THE THEORY THAT THE
SAMPLE IS EXTRATERRESTRIAL. >> WE'VE GOT AN ELEMENT THERE,
BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. WE HAVE TO DO SOME FURTHER ANALYSIS
>> WITH ONE MYSTERY DEEPENING, ANOTHER IS ABOUT TO BE
UNCOVERED. PAT HAS CALLED ON WELL DIGGER JERRY BROWNING TO
REMOVE THE HISTORIC WELL HOUSE. BUT WHAT WILL THEY FIND
UNDERNEATH? IF THE WELL REALLY IS OVER 100 YEARS OLD, IT MAY
HAVE COLLAPSED, OR PAT MAY PROVE THE SKEPTICS RIGHT IF HE
UNCOVERS A WELL DUG AFTER THE 1897 CRASH.
>> JERRY, WHAT'S THE NEXT MOVE? >> WE CAN'T TAKE IT OUT WITH
BOTH TRUCKS, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SLIDE IN THERE WITH THE FORKS
AND SEE IF WE CAN HELP IT PICK IT UP.
>> LET'S GET TO IT. >> THE CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW ISN'T
LIFTING IT, IT'S ACTUALLY SHIFTING IT TO THE SIDE AWAY
FROM THE WELL. SO THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO. THIS THING IS
MORE OF A BEAST THAN THEY THOUGHT. IT'S MUCH HEAVIER THAN
THEY ANTICIPATED. >> FINALLY THE WELL IS REVEALED
AND APPEARS TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION. AND AT THE BOTTOM,
SOMEWHERE IN THE DARKNESS, COULD LIE THE ANSWER TO ONE OF THE
OLDEST UFO MYSTERIES ON THE BOOKS.
>> WELL, WE DEFINITELY GOT OURSELVES A WELL HERE.
IT'S ALMOST TOO PERFECT. >> SO, GARTH, LOOKING AT THIS,
ONE OF THE BIG STORIES OF THE DEBUNKERS, THEY SAY THIS WELL
WASN'T EVEN AROUND--COULDN'T HAVE BEEN BUILT AS EARLY
AS 1897. WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> WELL, IT LOOKS PRETTY
CONSISTENT TO ME. THE LIMESTONE HAS GOT TOOL MARKS ON IT FROM
A PICK, SO IT WASN'T GROUND DOWN. IT WASN'T DRILLED. THE
BRICKS ARE HAND MADE, AND THEY'RE NOT WIRE CUT, NOT MADE
IN FORMS, EITHER. THEY ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE THEY'RE HAND FORMED.
AND THE MORTAR ITSELF LOOKS-- IT LOOKS PRETTY CONSISTENT FOR
THAT AGE. I MEAN, WHY NOT? IT'S CERTAINLY--YOU KNOW, WITHOUT ANY
SORT OF REAL CARBON DATES, IT'S ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT OF THE TIME.
>> GARTH CONCLUDES THE WELL IS AT THE PROPER TIME PERIOD, BUT
THEN NOTICES SOMETHING MORE SHOCKING.
>> THERE'S SOMETHING MOVING DOWN THERE.
>> NO KIDDING. >> AW, MAN.
>> IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS? >> WHAT IS THAT?
>> THE REPORTED 1897 AIRSHIP CRASH IN AURORA, TEXAS IS ONE OF
THE OLDEST AND BEST KNOWN UFO CASES. UFO HUNTERS ARE NOW ON
THE GROUND INVESTIGATING KEY ASPECTS OF THE STORY:
THE GRAVEYARD, THE CRASH SITE, AND THE RECENTLY UNSEALED WELL.
>> THERE'S SOMETHING MOVING DOWN THERE.
>> NO KIDDING. >> AW, MAN.
>> IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS? >> IT'S A SNAKE.
>> IT'S A RATTLESNAKE. >> WHAT KIND OF SNAKES ARE
AROUND HERE? >> IT COULD BE A WATER MOCCASIN.
>> A WATER MOCCASIN IS PRETTY POISONOUS, RIGHT?
>> YES. >> SO DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM?
>> YOU DO. >> WHILE PAT FIGURES OUT HOW TO
HANDLE THE SNAKE, BILL AND GARTH MEET WITH AN AURORA AIRSHIP
MYSTERY EXPERT AT THE REPORTED CRASH SITE.
>> MY NAME IS KENT CHERRY. I'M TEXAS STATE DIRECTOR FOR MUFON:
MUTUAL UFO NETWORK. >> MUFON BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE
THE CRASH SITE IN THE EARLY 1970s. THEIR TEAM FOUND
UNEXPLAINED TRACES OF METAL THAT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN MELTED.
>> IN 1973, OUR STUDIES INDICATED THAT THERE WAS
A DISPERSAL PATTERN OF METALS FROM A CENTRAL POINT ALL AROUND
THIS AREA, AND INCLUDING A METAL SIGNAL THAT WE HAD FROM THIS
TREE, WHICH WAS DETERMINED TO BE OVER 100 YEARS OLD.
>> IF GARTH HERE, WHO BROUGHT A METAL DETECTOR, RAN IT OVER
THE TREE, THAT SOMETHING MIGHT STILL BE THERE?
>> IT'S VERY POSSIBLE. [METAL DETECTOR BEEPING]
>> AS WITH THE CRASH SITE BEFORE, METAL IS AGAIN FOUND
WHERE NONE SHOULD EXIST. >> OH, MY.
>> HOLY MACKEREL. >> SO OBVIOUSLY, GUYS, WE'RE NOT
GONNA CHOP DOWN A 200-YEAR-OLD LIVE OAK TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY
FAINT PIECE OF MOLTEN METAL IN THE TREE. WE GOT THE HIT. SO THE
REPORTS WERE CONSISTENT. WE MAY NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT WE KNOW
SOMETHING'S THERE. >> METAL IMBEDDED IN A TREE...
ODDLY SHAPED METAL INGOTS MELTED TO THE ROCKS...
BILL AND GARTH CONTINUE TO FIND TANTALIZING CLUES, BUT IS IT
DEBRIS FROM A DOWNED UFO? PAT'S TREK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL
COULD VERY WELL PROVIDE THE CORROBORATING EVIDENCE
NECESSARY. >> THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF
CONTROVERSY AROUND THIS CASE UNTIL NOW. DEBUNKERS HAVE SAID
THAT THIS IS ALL JUST FOLKLORE. WE FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS AN
ACTUAL WINDMILL BECAUSE WE FOUND THE STRUCTURES FOR THE WINDMILL,
AND OF COURSE WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO FIND A BEAUTIFUL 40-FOOT
WELL. FOLKLORE HAS GIVEN WAY TO FACT. THERE WAS A WINDMILL, AND
THERE IS A WELL, AND THERE MAY VERY WELL BE DEBRIS AT THE
BOTTOM OF THIS WELL. >> BUT THE WELL APPEARS TO BE
FULL OF DANGERS. ONE WRITHES IN THE WATER BELOW, WHILE ANOTHER
HAS YET TO BE CONFIRMED. >> THE STORIES ARE THAT THIS
WATER IN HERE WAS CONTAMINATED, THAT BROLLY OATES--YOUR
GRANDFATHER, TIM--GOT SICK FROM THE WATER IN THIS WELL. IN FACT,
THERE ARE EVEN PHOTOS THAT EXIST, AND WE HAVE THEM, OF YOUR
GRANDFATHER HAVING SKIN ERUPTIONS ON HIS HANDS FROM THE
WATER IN THIS WELL. AND THAT'S WHY HE CLOSED IT UP.
>> SO IT MIGHT BE CONTAMINATED DOWN THERE?
>> WELL, THAT'S WHAT ONE OF THE LEGENDS ABOUT THIS WELL SAY.
>> AN ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY EXPERT IS CALLED IN:
JIM CHAPPELL FROM TAS ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE.
>> WE'RE GONNA BE DOING STANDBY RESCUE TO LOWER YOU DOWN INTO
THE HOLE. >> OK.
>> AND JUST MONITOR THE ATMOSPHERE AND MAKE SURE
YOU'RE SAFE, AND THEN PULL YOU BACK OUT.
>> BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF POTENTIAL CONTAMINATION FROM THE
WATER AND SOIL, PAT IS TAKING NO CHANCES.
>> SO THIS IS THE DECONTAMINATION SUIT?
>> WELL, THIS IS ACTUALLY A CHEMICAL PROTECTIVE SUIT.
SINCE WE HAVEN'T HAD THE WATER TESTED YET, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
POTENTIAL DANGERS ARE DOWN THERE, SO WE'LL HAVE YOU WEAR
THIS SUIT TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE CHEMICAL HAZARDS.
>> OK. YEAH, A LITTLE ON THE SNUG SIDE, BUT I SUPPOSE
IT'LL DO. OK, JIM, WHAT'S NEXT? >> PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GLOVES.
STAND UP AND PUT YOUR ARMS IN. BRADY, YOU WANT TO GRAB
A HARNESS? >> OH, YEAH, NICE AND COOL
IN HERE. >> STRETCH YOUR ARM OUT ALL
THE WAY. RIGHT THROUGH THERE. >> OK. DO I LOOK COOL, BILL?
>> WITH THE SUIT AND HARNESS IN PLACE, JIM STRAPS A RESPIRATOR
ON PAT. >> I'M GONNA COVER UP THE
CARTRIDGES, AND YOU TAKE A BREATH, AND IT SHOULD PULL
THE MASK TIGHT AROUND YOUR FACE. >> OK.
>> THERE YOU GO. YEAH? >> IT'S SEALED.
>> PAT CLIPS ONTO THE WINCH AND BEGINS HIS DESCENT. HIS FIRST
TASK IS TO REMOVE THE SNAKE FROM THE WELL.
>> SIT DOWN ON THE EDGE OF THE HOLE AND CHECK YOUR AIR MONITOR.
>> OK. [MONITOR BEEPING]
>> AIR MONITOR'S GOOD. >> LET US KNOW WHAT YOU SEE,
PAT, AS YOU GO DOWN THERE. [MUFFLED SPEECH]
I HAVE TO SAY THIS IS A FIRST FOR ME.
>> HOW YOU DOING WITH THE SNAKE, PAT?
>> GIVE ME A SECOND HERE. STOP. I SEE THE SNAKE. STOP.
>> GRAB HIM FROM BEHIND HIS HEAD.
>> GOT IT. >> COMING UP. COMING UP!
>> HANG ON TO HIM. YOU GOT HIM. >> OK.
[MUFFLED SPEECH] >> CAN YOU PUT YOUR LEG OUT?
COME TO ME. COME TO ME. COME TO ME. OK, YOU'RE CLEAR.
YOU CAN WALK AWAY. >> OK, I'M WALKING AWAY.
>> ALL RIGHT, SHOW THE GUY. WHAT IS IT?
>> WHO'S OUR SNAKE EXPERT HERE? >> YEAH, THAT'S A RAT SNAKE.
>> IT'S A RAT SNAKE. >> WE'RE OK?
>> WITH THE SNAKE OUT OF THE WELL, PAT BEGINS ANOTHER
DESCENT. THIS TIME HE'S LOOKING FOR THE ANSWER TO THE AURORA
AIRSHIP MYSTERY. TED AND ARCHAEOLOGIST GARTH BALDWIN
RETURN TO THE GRAVEYARD WITH NEW HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT. WITH NO
PERMISSION FROM THE TOWN OF AURORA TO DIG IN THE GRAVEYARD,
TED LOOKS TO A LESS INVASIVE PROCEDURE TO SEE BENEATH THE
EARTH. GROUND PENETRATING RADAR EXPERT STAN WOOD AND HIS SON
ROBERT ARRIVE TO HELP PEER BENEATH THE SOIL.
>> SO HERE'S THE X-MARKS-THE-SPOT.
>> WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS THAT WE, YOU KNOW, JUST SCAN A LARGER
AREA, ESTABLISH WHAT'S NORMAL HERE, AND THEN ONCE WE ESTABLISH
THAT, THEN WE CAN START LOOKING FOR THE, UH, ABNORMALITIES OR
THE ANOMALIES UNDERGROUND. >> GROUND PENETRATING RADAR
EMITS ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES INTO THE EARTH. IF A PULSE
STRIKES AN OBJECT, IT BOUNCES BACK TO THE MACHINE'S RECEIVER,
CREATING AN IMAGE ON THE DISPLAY.
>> WE'LL BE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO USE GPR TO STUDY WHAT'S UNDER
THE GROUND, BELOW THE X-MARKS-THE-SPOT. UM, HOPEFULLY
WE'LL FIND SOME FEATURES UNDER THE GROUND THAT LOOK INTERESTING
OR UNUSUAL. >> REAL CONSISTENT ACROSS IN
THROUGH HERE. SEE, THERE'S SOMETHING OUT IN HERE.
>> WE'LL SEE THE CHANGES IN DENSITY FROM
THE GRAVES, AND POSSIBLY EVEN THE BONE STRUCTURES OF THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE BURIED THERE. IF WE FIND BASICALLY A SIGNATURE
THAT LOOKS REALLY UNUSUAL IN TERMS OF THE SIZE OF THE COFFIN
OR EVEN THE BONE STRUCTURE, WE'LL KNOW THAT SOMETHING'S
VERY ODD THERE. >> ARE THE ANSWERS TO THE AURORA
CASE OF 1897 HIDDEN 6 FEET DEEP IN A LOCAL GRAVEYARD, OR IN
THE 40-FOOT DEPTHS OF THIS 100-YEAR-OLD WELL?
>> I SEE SOMETHING DOWN THERE. >> IN APRIL OF 1897, A STRANGE
CIGAR-SHAPED AIRSHIP ALLEGEDLY EXPLODED IN THE SKIES OVER
AURORA, TEXAS. TED'S ORIGINAL ANALYSIS OF
THE METAL FROM THE CRASH SITE REVEALED AN UNKNOWN ELEMENT.
HE TAKES THE SAMPLE TO DR. TOM GRAY TO RUN MORE ADVANCED TESTS
IN THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS'S PARTICLE ACCELERATOR.
>> AND WE WILL BOMBARD THE SAMPLE WITH A BEAM OF PROTONS,
ACTUALLY. >> MM-HMM.
>> AND IT WILL CAUSE THE ATOMS IN THE SAMPLE TO RADIATE THEIR
CHARACTERISTIC ENERGIES. >> MM-HMM. IS THERE ANY CHANCE
THERE ARE ELEMENTS IN THERE THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE?
>> UH, THAT WOULD BE EXCITING INDEED.
>> THE TEST SHOULD BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY ALL OF THE TRACE
ELEMENTS WITHIN THE SAMPLE. >> AND WE CAN--WE CAN TAKE THE
RESULTS OF THE TEST, TAKE THE RAW DATA, AND COMPARE THAT TO
A LIBRARY OF OVER 60,000 KNOWN FORMULATIONS, RIGHT, OF MATTER,
AND SEE IF IT MATCHES UP WITH ANY OF THOSE. AND IF IT DOESN'T,
WE'VE GOT SOMETHING NEW. IF IT DOES, WE KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
>> OK, WELL, THE TARGET'S IN POSITION.
>> PROTONS FROM THE PARTICLE ACCELERATOR BOMBARD THE SAMPLE.
THE COMPUTER GRAPHS ALL OF THE ELEMENTS PRESENT IN THE METAL.
>> TOM, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE?
>> THIS IS CLEARLY AN ALUMINUM SAMPLE.
>> SO WE HAVE ALUMINUM, OBVIOUSLY.
>> BUT WHAT ABOUT THE UNKNOWN ELEMENT FOUND IN EARLIER TESTS?
THIS SPECTROSCOPY EQUIPMENT IS FAR MORE SOPHISTICATED THAN THE
FIRST MACHINE AND IS ABLE TO IDENTIFY EVERY ELEMENT IN
THE SAMPLE. >> CLEARY THE MAJORITY OF THE
SAMPLE IS ALUMINUM. ARE YOU SEEING ANYTHING HERE THAT
IS UNUSUAL? >> THERE SEEMS TO BE
A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF IRON IN THE SAMPLE.
>> FOR TED AND TOM, THE HIGH IRON CONTENT OPENS ANOTHER
MYSTERY, ONE THAT LENDS CREDENCE TO THE ALLEGED UFO CRASH.
>> WHENEVER YOU BUY ALUMINUM FOR MANUFACTURING PURPOSES, IT'S
ALWAYS AN ALLOY ALUMINUM, WHICH MEANS IT'S ALUMINUM--THE ELEMENT
ALUMINUM IS THE PRIMARY COMPONENT, BUT THERE ARE
MULTIPLE OTHER ELEMENTS WHICH MAKE IT MORE MANUFACTURABLE.
>> I LOOKED DOWN THROUGH THE MODERN ALLOYS OF ALUMINUM. THEY
ALL CONTAIN IRON, BUT IT'S IN SMALL, MUCH SMALLER AMOUNTS
THAN WE SEE IN THIS SAMPLE. >> COULD THIS ALUMINUM BE FROM
A CRAFT THAT CRASHED IN THE 1890s? ALUMINUM PROCESSING HAD
A NUMBER OF BREAKTHROUGHS IN THE MID-1880s. STILL, BY THE TIME OF
THE CRASH, THE METAL REMAINED RARE AND VERY EXPENSIVE.
>> WHILE WE CAN'T PROVE THAT OUR SAMPLE IS BACK FROM THE 1900s,
WE HAVE A DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE HERE THAT IT DOES NOT MATCH ANY
OF THE CURRENT ALLOYS FROM TODAY.
>> THAT'S RIGHT. >> BACK AT THE WELL, AN ATTEMPT
IS BEING MADE TO RECOVER SAMPLES FROM 40 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE,
BUT THE WEATHER ON THIS WARM SUMMER AFTERNOON HAS TURNED.
PAT, LOWERED TO THE BOTTOM BY A WINCH AND CABLE, HAS NO TIME
TO WASTE. >> WE JUST HAD A MAJOR LIGHTNING
STRIKE HERE, AND THE WIND IS WHIPPING EVERYTHING. PAT'S GOT
TO GET THE SAMPLES, LOAD WHATEVER HE CAN INTO THAT CASE,
AND GET OUT OF THERE. 'CAUSE THIS STORM IS CLOSING IN, AND WE
ARE IN FOR A TEXAS WHOPPER. YEAH, LOOK FOR METAL, IF THERE'S
ANY METAL. >> OK, RIGHT. CAN YOU GIVE ME
SOME SLACK? OK, WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME ROOTS DOWN HERE.
>> ANYTHING METALLIC? >> THE STORM HAS COMPLICATED
THE SEARCH. >> YOU'RE ATTACHED TO A METAL
CABLE SUSPENDED BY AN ALUMINUM TRIPOD, AND THERE'S LIGHTNING.
>> AND YOU'RE IN THE WATER. >> OK, WAIT A SECOND. I JUST
NEED TO GET A GOOD VIEW. THERE'S SYRUPY MUD DOWN HERE.
>> LOAD UP THAT CONE WITH WHATEVER'S DOWN AT THE BOTTOM OF
THAT. WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT WHEN YOU GET UP HERE.
>> ALL RIGHT, GET ME OUT OF HERE.
>> COME ON, PAT. WE CAN SEE YOU. >> ALMOST CLEAR.
>> SO, PAT, WHAT DID YOU SEE? >> THERE WAS DIRT. I WAS
STANDING IN ABOUT HALF A FOOT OF MUD. THE WATER WAS UP TO HERE,
AS YOU CAN TELL FROM THE SUIT. UH, I SAW A LOT OF ROCK AND
A LOT OF MUD. >> YEAH. ANY METAL?
>> UH, I--I DON'T KNOW. WE DON'T KNOW. I TOOK SAMPLES. I TOOK
SOIL SAMPLES. >> OK.
>> WATER SAMPLES. WE'LL HAVE TO TEST THAT. AND WE'LL HAVE TO
SIFT THROUGH WHAT WE GOT AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY DEBRIS.
>> DESPITE THE DANGER, PAT HAS COLLECTED SEVERAL SAMPLES FROM
THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL. >> I GOT THE WATER SAMPLES, THE
SOIL SAMPLES, AND THE DEBRIS. NOW WE HAND IT OFF TO TED, AND
WE'LL SEE WHAT THE SCIENCE TELLS US.
>> I'VE JUST HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE SAMPLES THAT PAT
PULLED UP FROM THE WELL, AND, YOU KNOW, UPON INITIAL
INSPECTION, THEY LOOK LIKE MORE OR LESS WHAT YOU'D EXPECT. I WAS
NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY PIECES OF ALUMINUM. UM, YOU KNOW, THERE
MIGHT BE SOME VERY MICROSCOPIC SCALE ALUMINUM DOWN THERE, BUT
UPON BASIC VISUAL INSPECTION, THERE'S CLEARLY NOTHING UNUSUAL.
WHAT I NEED TO DO NEXT IS ANALYZE THE SOIL AND THE SAMPLE
MORE CLOSELY. >> TED'S ADDITIONAL TESTS WILL
FINALLY PROVE IF THE WELL IS CONTAMINATED, AND IF SO, COULD
IT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR BROLLY OATES' STRANGE AND DISFIGURING
ILLNESS? >> THE UNCAPPED WELL REPORTEDLY
FILLED WITH PIECES FROM A CRASHED UFO HAS YIELDED
SEVERAL SAMPLES OF DEBRIS, WATER, AND SOIL. BUT NO PIECES
OF METAL ARE VISIBLE IN THE DEBRIS. THE WATER AND SOIL
SAMPLES MAY STILL HOLD THE ANSWER TO BROLLY OATES'
DISFIGURING AILMENT. TED PUSHES FORWARD WITH ADDITIONAL TESTS.
BRENDA WILES OF TALUM, INCORPORATED TESTS WATER AND
SOIL SAMPLES FOR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND INDUSTRY.
>> BASICALLY MOST OF WHAT WE FOUND WAS MINERALS THAT WOULD
HAVE BEEN FOUND NORMALLY IN GROUNDWATER AND SOIL. THE ONLY
UNUSUAL THING THAT WE FOUND WAS A RATHER HIGH LEVEL OF ALUMINUM
IN THE SAMPLES. >> ALUMINUM, REALLY?
>> YES. >> WOW, THAT'S INTERESTING. THE
STORY AROUND THE CASE HERE IS THAT THERE WAS AN AWFUL LOT OF
ALUMINUM THAT WAS POTENTIALLY PUT DOWN INTO THE WELL. IS THAT
CONSISTENT WITH WHAT YOU'RE FINDING, OR WHA--
>> IT'S POSSIBLE. IT COULD HAVE EITHER BEEN SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
OR THERE COULD BE A LOT OF ALUMINUM NATURALLY PRESENT IN
THE MINERALS AT THE SITE. >> IT'S STILL STRANGE TO ME THAT
WE KEEP FINDING ALUMINUM IN THIS CASE. IT'S MELTED ON THE GROUND
AROUND THE AREA THAT'S THE ALLEGED CRASH SITE. WE HAVE HIGH
CONCENTRATIONS OF ALUMINUM DOWN INSIDE THE WELL. YOU ADD THIS
ALL TOGETHER, AND TO ME IT'S POSSIBLY CONSISTENT THAT THERE
COULD HAVE BEEN SOME KIND OF ALUMINUM MANUFACTURED CRAFT THAT
CRASHED IN THE AREA. >> IF THERE WAS A CRASH, WHY WAS
NO DEBRIS FOUND IN THE WELL? BILL TURNS TO SOMEONE WHO MAY
PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. FOR THE FIRST TIME, BILL OATES,
BROLLY OATES' SON, AGREES TO A TELEVISION INTERVIEW.
>> NOW THE LEGEND GOES THAT BECAUSE THE WATER WAS
CONTAMINATED, YOUR FATHER GOT LESIONS ON HIS HANDS AND
EVERYTHING ELSE FROM CONTAMINATED WATER FROM SOME
KIND OF ALIEN METAL IN THERE. >> I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING, AND
I DRANK SOME OF THE SAME WATER. >> OK.
>> I THINK IT WAS PROBABLY DUE TO URIC ACID WITH THE GOUT
AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. >> BILL'S INTERVIEW CASTS DOUBT
ON AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL CAUSE TO BROLLY OATES' SICKNESS, BUT HE
ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON WHY NOTHING WAS FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF
THE WELL. >> OH, SO YOUR FATHER KNEW THERE
WAS SOMETHING IN THE WELL THAT WAS STRANGE. NOW--
>> UH, HE DIDN'T ACTUALLY KNOW IF THERE WAS ANYTHING STRANGE IN
THERE. HE JUST WANTED TO CLEAN IT OUT...
>> OH, I SEE. I SEE. >> SO HE COULD HAVE CLEAR
DRINKING WATER. >> SO THIS WASN'T A RESPONSE TO
ANY LEGENDS OR STORIES. THIS WAS A RESPONSE TO, "I JUST MOVED
ONTO THE PROPERTY. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE WELL IS CLEAN."
>> THAT'S CORRECT. >> "SO LET ME GET SOME FOLKS
DOWN TO HELP CLEAN IT OUT." >> THAT'S CORRECT.
>> SO WERE YOU HERE THAT DAY? >> YES.
>> DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH METAL THEY GOT OUT?
>> NO, I DON'T. >> BUT THE FACT IS YOU DO
REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE WELL,
SOME STRANGE METAL... >> THEY SAY THEY TOOK THE METAL
OUT OF THERE, YES. >> SO IF THE WATER WAS HEALTHY
TO DRINK, WHY WAS THE WELL SEALED?
>> OUR LINES JUST CORRODED UP, AND WE THOUGHT THE WELL WAS DRY,
SO WE DRILLED A NEW ONE. >> THE CAST IRON PIPE THAT WAS
IN THERE HAD CORRODED? >> IT CORRODED UP. COULDN'T PULL
ANY WATER THROUGH IT. >> HERE'S THE BIG THING FOR ALL
THE DEBUNKERS OUT THERE. EVEN THOUGH WE'VE SHOWN THE WELL
WATER WASN'T CONTAMINATED, EVEN THOUGH WE'VE SHOWN THE REASON
THAT BROLLY CAPPED THE WELL WAS BECAUSE THE PIPES HAD CORRODED
AND THE WELL HAD GONE DRY, WHAT WE REALLY SHOWED WAS THAT WHEN
BROLLY OATES BOUGHT THE PROPERTY AND MOVED HERE, THERE REALLY
WERE METALLIC OBJECTS AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT WELL. SO YES,
THERE WAS METAL AT THE BOTTOM OF BROLLY OATES' WELL RIGHT BENEATH
WHERE WHATEVER HIT THAT WINDMILL EXPLODED.
>> WITH NEW INFORMATION ON THE MYSTERIOUS WELL, TED CLOSES IN
ON THE FINAL PIECE OF THE AURORA PUZZLE: THE ALLEGED ALIEN GRAVE.
WITH GROUND PENETRATING RADAR, HE HAS THE ABILITY TO PEER BELOW
THE SURFACE. FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE 1890s, THE TRUTH WILL
BE KNOWN. IS SOMETHING REALLY BURIED IN THIS UNMARKED PLOT?
>> LET'S KEEP AN EYE ON THIS AREA HERE. YOU SEEING ANYTHING?
>> THERE'S SOMETHING OUT HERE. >> WITH EACH PASS, THE RADAR
RECORDS AREAS WHERE THE SOIL HAS BEEN DISTURBED. TED MARKS THE
HITS WITH ORANGE FLAGS. NOW THESE MARKERS ARE BEGINNING TO
TAKE A FAMILIAR FORM. >> IT'S AMAZING. WE'VE GOT
A LENGTH THAT'S, UH, ABOUT 6 FEET.
>> THE GROUND PENETRATING IMAGES ARE CONCLUSIVE. AN OUTLINE
EMERGES OF A ROUGHLY 6-FOOT BY 2.5-FOOT PATCH.
>> CONSISTENT WITH A TYPICAL GRAVE THAT WE WOULD SEE.
>> YEP, AND LOOK AT THE ORIENTATION.
>> THE DISTURBANCE SEEMS TO LINE UP WITH OTHER GRAVES AND MARKERS
IN THE CEMETERY. >> IT LINES UP WITH THE ENDS OF
THE PLOT. >> IT'S IN A GOOD LINE WITH
THAT, AND IT'S IN A PERFECT LINE STRAIGHT ALL THE WAY
THROUGH HERE. >> SO THE STONE WOULD HAVE BEEN,
YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE IN THIS AREA, WHICH IS WITHIN A FEW FEET
OF OUR ESTIMATE. WE'VE PROVEN THERE'S A GRAVE THERE, WHERE
THERE WAS A LOT OF DOUBT. OF COURSE, NOW, WE CAN'T GO INTO
THE GRAVE. WE CAN'T DIG IT UP. >> HAVING WORKED IN A FEW
CEMETERIES, IT'S NOT UNUSUAL TO SEE AN UNMARKED GRAVE. IT'S
ACTUALLY EXPECTED. BUT THIS ONE'S IN THE CENTER OF A
LOCATION WHERE THERE ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE ONE, AND WITH ALL
THE STORIES FLYING AROUND, IT IS KIND OF INTERESTING.
>> THE IMAGES ALSO SHOW THE GRAVE HAS COLLAPSED DUE TO THE
UNSTABLE AND SANDY SOIL. SOMETHING MAY STILL BE BURIED IN
THE GRAVE, BUT IT'S BEYOND WHAT THE RADAR CAN DETECT.
>> I'M NOT SURE IF THE MYSTERY WILL EVER BE COMPLETELY SOLVED.
ALL WE KNOW NOW IS THERE IS A GRAVE WHERE THERE WAS A LOT OF
QUESTION, AND IT'S CONSISTENT WITH THE STORY, AND THE
DIMENSIONS AND ORIENTATION ARE CONSISTENT WITH A GRAVE OF
THAT ERA. >> I MEAN, DEBUNKERS HAVE ALL
SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING TO THIS--THAT THERE WAS NO WELL,
THAT THERE WAS NO WINDMILL, THAT THERE WAS NO, UM, BODY IN
A GRAVEYARD. WHAT WE'VE FOUND OUT IS THAT YOU CAN'T DISMISS
A STORY LIKE THIS WITHOUT DOING YOUR HOMEWORK.
>> WE REACHED BACK A HUNDRED YEARS TO IDENTIFY WHAT THAT UFO
WAS. WE BROUGHT IT INTO THE PRESENT, AND WE FOUND A MISSING
PERSONS CASE FROM AN AIRSHIP ACCIDENT. THAT'S WHAT WE FOUND.
THAT'S MY THEORY. >> NOW, I CAN'T SAY THAT THESE
THINGS PROVE THAT A CRASH OCCURRED AT AURORA, BUT THEY DO
SHOW THAT THERE ARE HARD FACTS BENEATH THIS CASE, AND THAT WILL
ALWAYS LEAVE A SORT OF LINGERING DOUBT IN MY MIND ABOUT WHAT
REALLY HAPPENED HERE. >> FOR THE FIRST TIME, NEW
EVIDENCE HAS BEEN RECOVERED IN A 110-YEAR-OLD UFO COLD CASE
MYSTERY. WHERE MANY ASSUMED A HOAX, UFO HUNTERS HAVE FOUND
STARTLING FACTS. STILL, THE AURORA AIRSHIP MYSTERY REMAINS
ONE OF THE STRANGEST: AN UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT
REPORTEDLY SEEN YEARS BEFORE THE INVENTION OF THE AIRPLANE.
