Mysterious Light Remains a Mystery
"Viewed through filters, the lights never polarized, which any mirage would do. No electromagnetic current could be traced on a galvanometer. And the light appears consistently, regardless of atmospheric conditions. I never heard of anyone going out there who didn't see it," Leming adds.Perhaps it is the "peizoelectrical effect." This theory states that a group of crystals - especially quartz, since it is common in these areas - is put under intense pressure from fault lines, such as the New Madrid Fault which runs through the area. These crystals, when squeezed together, develop an electrical charge, giving off sparks. This usually happens during earthquake activity.
However, local residents remain steadfast in their belief that the light comes from a lantern carried up and down the tracks by a railroad foreman brutally murdered in 1931.
The town librarian, a lifelong Gurdon resident, claims that as a teenager she went down to the tracks one night to see the light. When she couldn't see it, she turned to leave and it was right behind her.
"I have lived here in Gurdon my entire life and seen the light many times," Mayor Pete Randolph said in a 1985 interview with the Los Angeles Times. "What causes the light? It is the ghost out there with a lantern...has to be! People have been trying to figure it out for years."
I see a light, all right," says Dr. Leming, "but I don't think it has anything to do with murder. The Gurdon light is a purely natural phenomenon that we just haven't figured out yet."
Gaining access to the light is part of the problem in solving the puzzle. The track crosses a creek nine times. Insects infest the area, and the sound of creatures slipping in and out of the swamp at night is unnerving. Most dangerous of all are the snakes who, having absorbed the sun all day like to lie on the cool tracks.
In a recent telephone interview with Dr. Leming, he was asked to explain the light using as few words as possible. "Spurious," he answered.
He further indicated that he wouldn't be averse to leading a group of aspiring scientists on a mission to solve the Gurdon light once and for all.
Any takers?
- The light is still unexplained
- Dr Leming is willing to take volunteers with him to solve it
- The mission would be dangerous
Comments
me
(Guest)
(Guest)
05/12/2008
Very interested, I am going there this coming weekend. I live close to the crossett light, and it enthralls me. can't wait.
Michael Clingan
(Guest)
(Guest)
03/29/2006
Nice article - you did your homework. A few things fell through the cracks though: First, and possibly supporting the piezoelectric theory is the fact a microamp meter hooked across the rails will show a reading when the light is present. In order to do this one must be some distance away from where an AC signal is present for the railroad crossing warning lights. Sometimes binoculars are required to see the light, but the microamp meter will indicate when the light may be seen. Second, and again supporting the piezoelectric theory, a map of seismic activity for the state shows a very high concentration of activity around the area in which the light is observed. Seismic activity (earthquakes) is a well known precursor for luminous displays. Third, while they didn�t keep notes on their observations, many, many local people �of a certain age� have seen the light. Some recall seeing it in the years immediately after the McClain murder which also corresponds again to a major seismi
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