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Now It’s Magnetism That Pops the Bottles, WM. Michelfelder

New Figurine Now It's Magnetism That Pops the Bottles By. WM. Michelfelder, World-Telegram Staff The beleaguered Herrmanns of Seaford, L.I., were cheered today by a physicist who spent 24 hours at 1648 Redwood Path and announced - with reservations - that he felt he had solved their 21-day plague of bottle-popping and flying objects. Identified only as a "leading college scientist" by the Nassau County police, the physicist concluded a round-the-clock investigation of the tiny ranch house and theorized as follows: - Two underground streams are directly beneath 1648 Redwood Path "meeting adn causing a magnetic field which passes all through the house." - The magnetic field induces high voltage which "permeates" all objects in the house, particularly those with metal parts (bottle screw caps), statues and figurines (metal bases) and even that flying sugar bowl - which had a metal cover. Delicate instruments brought by the physicist revealed that 1648 Redwood Path had "an unusually dry-air interior." This low humidity, says the scientist, created "exceptionally fine conditions" for the magnetic field to move all through the house affecting many objects and bottles in various rooms at the same time. Turbulence of the meeting streams sets up the magnetic charge, he said. Something Must Be Done. It would appear therefore, according to Detective Joseph Tozzi, who listened respectfully to the professor's theory, that SOMETHING must be done about untangling those two streams. "You will note," Detective Tozzi added, with judicious air, "that the professor has some reservations. He tells us it's only a theory, but scientifically reasonable. His instruments point to these probable causes. However, he doesn't want to identify himself until he's darned sure. More scientific observations will be made." And will the harassed Herrmanns have to dig up around the house and divert those mischievous waterways? Need Maps. "Not," answered Detective Tozzi firmly, "until we get all those underground maps of this Seaford area from the geologists. We do know of one stream under the Herrmann house. It does show on some maps. Now we are hoping to find the other one." Said Mrs. Herrmann today, with nary a pop to be heard, nor a flying object to be seen: "We are sure encouraged But NO digging yet. Psychology Test. Dr. J. Gaither Pratt, assistant director of Duke University's parapsychology laboratory, visits the Hermann home today to see if 12-year-old Jimmy can be the unwitting cause of the bottle-popping. The study of parapsychology deals with reported supernormal ability of human beings. Dr. Pratt will try to determine if Jimmy can make objects move without touching them. Also due at the home were technicians from RCA Communications, Inc., who will try to determine whether the explanation lies in radio waves or an electro-magnetic field.

The Seaford Poltergeist Case drew the interests of researchers, including physicists and parapsychologists, who proposed theories about what was causing the unusual activity at the Herrmanns. A physicist proposed that a magnetic field created by underground water streams was the cause. Parapsychologists theorized that Jimmy, the Herrmann’s 12-year-old son, was unconsciously responsible for the popping bottles.

See: Research

“New Figurine: Now It’s Magnetism That Pops the Bottles,” WM. Michelfelder, World-Telegram, 1958, Folder “Seaford Poltergeist,” Box D, Eileen J. Garrett Parapsychology Foundation Collection, Collection 331, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD).

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