This article appeared in the JD Tower Issue of the Bull Sheet, April 1992
The Saga of 'Saucerman'
Drawing by Mark Hammel
This is a TRUE STORY and no annals of JD Tower would ever be complete without it.
It happened in the evening of July 14, 1974, The operator on duty observed a 'ball of fire' descend onto the right-of-way near the Baltimore Avenue overpass several hundred feet west of the tower. He thought that the fire may have been something from outer space, and he reported it to the train dispatcher as such.
His logbook entry reads: "Fire from meteorite or other foreign object..."
The fire was not from outer space. But from the operator's excited description of it at the time, he was bestowed the nickname SAUCERMAN, and he has had it ever since.
Yes, this actually happened... and his logbook entry is reproduced below to prove it.
The fire was extinguished by fire department "foot action" at 9:05 P.M.
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