A YUM Publication
No. 7 Vol. 5
MAY 2025
Spacecraft Crashes in Grovers Mill NJ By Henry M. Holden he central figure in this story is Orson Wells, a celebrated playwright and director. The 28-year-old Wells had participated in programs on CBS Network Radio, titled Mercury Theater on the Air. The broadcast is scheduled on Halloween Eve. However, Wells thought it out and everyone thought it would be fun to do an adaptation of the British H.G. Welles War of the Worlds (no relation). The last few decades of space exploration have shown that the universe is violent and dangerous, at least with respect to human life. For example: in 1908 an object of unknown nature – probably a comet – hit Siberia with a force equivalent to a hydrogen bomb. Had this impact happened a few hours later, allowing for the Earth’s rotation, this object would have destroyed St. Petersburg, Russia and probably much more. The station’s regular program was Saturday, October 30, 1938 – Halloween Eve. Preparations are under way for a musical beginning, a guest speaker and a close with some dance music. “We are fortunate to get Susan Oliver, Ph.D. who specializes in the Moon to come on the show,” says Patrick Stewart program director. “Can you share with us some of the activities in your specialty?” “Of course, thank you for inviting me. Please let me share some stats to put it in perspective. The distance between the Moon and Earth on average is about 239,800 miles and about two and one half days to get there. But we have no vehicles capable of any kind of space travel. Now in comparison the big difference between the Earth and Mars is an average 140 million miles away. I could provide a detailed explanation using Orbital Mechanics, but few people understand it . Instead, let’s talk about some of the explanations in the speed of the satellite. If we had such a vehicle it would have an orbital speed of about 17,000 miles per hour. But, even if we had a rocket capable of such speed we don’t have the materials and the will of the people to build one. This will take several decades to create. “Meanwhile, a foreign vehicle that could land here would have to be a very large spacecraft, however, in general they are large, cylindrical projectiles fired from the Martian surface by some sort of cannon. There is wide spread talk that the Martians instead would emerge from their craft in the same way, by unscrewing a large, round hatch. They appear to have no use for humans, however, there is widespread circulation that the invaders would sustain themselves by "feeding" on humans, by fatally transfusing their captives' blood supply directly into Martian bodies through pipettes. There is later speculation about the Martians' eventually
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using trained human slaves to hunt down all remaining survivors after they conquer. Then a newscaster from another location interrupts the program’ “We just received a report that tonight an unidentified vehicle from outer space crashed in a pasture in Grovers Mill, in Mercer County, NJ. “We have just been told by someone on the scene, a reporter who happened to be just a few miles away and raced to the scene and he described what he saw. “This is reporter, Kyle R0te and I’m looking at what may be a crashed space vehicle that is in flames. I’m going to try and get a closer look. “Good heavens, something is wiggling out of the shadows like a gray snake. There is another one and another. They look like tentacles. I can see what I think are the scales around what maybe a head. The body is large, larger than a bear and it glistens like wet leather. But that face …ladies and gentlemen, this creature is indescribable. …I have force myself to keep looking at it. I just don’t have the words for it…” According to the astronomers observations suggest Mars is becoming unable to support life, leading to the Martians' decision to try to make Earth their new home. A hatch on the object unscrews and falls away. As three men standing guard attempt to make contact waving a white flag, a heat-ray obliterates them. U.S. Marines later surround the site, as reports pour in of more cylinders, presumably from Mars, landing all over Earth, destroying cities. Three war machines now emerge from the cylinder. A local Pastor attempts contact them but is disintegrated. Marines open fire but are unable to penetrate the invaders' force field. The aliens counterattack with death ray weaponry, killing most of the Marines and sending the remaining Marines into retreat. The Air Force attacks follow- up, but they are annihilated. “A Martian bear has no physical resemblance to humans, said professor Oliver. They are described as bearsized, roundish creatures with grayish-brown bodies, "merely heads", with quivering beak-like, V-shaped mouths dripping saliva. They have sixteen whip-like tentacles in two groupings of eight arranged on each side of their mouths and two large "luminous, disk-like eyes. They are reddish-brown creatures with two long, thin arms with three long, thin fingers with suction-cup tips. The Martian head is a broad "face" at the top-front of its broad-shouldered upper torso, the only apparent feature of which is a single, large eye with three distinctly colored lenses of red, blue, and green.” Another announcer comes on to say that “due to circumstances beyond our control the radio station is having problems with the broadcast. Soothing music comes from a dance band in New York City.
In spite of human evidence indicating that there was never a Martian invasion the locals in Grovers Mill erected a marker commemorating the event that never happened.
Brigadier General Montgomery Smith, of the New Jersey State Militia, arrives with the announcement that Mercer County and Middlesex Counties are being placed under martial law and homes are being evacuated. The soldiers are being rushed to the scenes. Listeners quickly learn that the solders have been wiped out and the Martians are in control of Central Jersey. More details of this attack are quickly followed by an artillery movement in Plainsboro to stop the enemy. Another report says another alien ship has landed in Basking Ridge. Apparently more Martians have crossed the Passaic River in the giant in giant machines. They are at the Pulaski Skyway destroying power stations. The general is warning that the black smoke pouring in from Jersey Meadows is probably poisonous and is close and is drifting close to the Morristown Green. And it is reaching South Street. A reporter is saying that the local population is trying to get out of town, but road courtesy and manners have disappeared. The law enforcement is trying to move the vehicles to open spaces and use routes 7 and 24 to avoid congestion areas. The heavy black thick smoke is reported over Raymond Boulevard. Maps are useless as dense smoke fills the air. The radio broadcast is supp0sed to be calming but does not ease the anxiety or fear that infects everyone. Those who have maps find them useless. The broadcaster warns that all of New Jersey is now under Marshal Law and looters, or anyone mentioned including Morristown the Watchung Mountains, Plainview and Bayonne should expect extreme responses from those who have rifles or handguns. Law Enforcement has issued a warning, that anyone using a weapon will be delt with in the most aggressive way possible. In other words, sh00t on sigh. cont. on page 37