After my weather balloon post, I heard from David's great-aunt Joetta, who lived and farmed with her family 1/4 mile from our present farm. She gave me permission to share. The balloon she describes was found 1 mile north of our farm.
"We came home one night at 11pm and the kids were all in bed. Zeke heard this funny noise up there and a light would go off and on. He came in and told me and we listened to it. It was a little scary. We went and drove up north to Hettich's farm.
Here it was--a big parachute with a big box, a heavy one. It was hooked on the fence. Just as we got there, the wind came up and it went dragging across the pasture and Melvin and Zeek tried to hold it. I was driving the car and I tried to run on the long rope that was attached to it. But by the time it hit the next fence, it broke loose and the box stayed there, but the balloon flew up and away.
We read the note like you did, but it said to call a number. We did. It was an experiement sent out from Canada and so a couple of days later they came down to pick it up. It was about 400lb. They took it to Aberdeen and loaded it on the train and shipped it back to Canada. They would not say what was in it. They paid us $300 for the fence and our trouble for reporting it. We never even got to keep the balloon parachute that carried it, as it flew away."
What are the odds? I'm just glad these things are lighter now. I can't imagine seeing a 400 lb. box falling from the sky--and I would hope I wasn't under it!!
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