the grave danger lay. It may be that close proximity to the central pillar or pole would produce a disastrous affect on the the white female if she had not been prevented from "falling" into it by the rail.  The "power" of the pole created "burns" because of her proximity.  Adamski was unaware of this danger, or at least did not report it.

Before entering a detailed comparison of the reports quoted above, and examination of their technical significance, it may be helpful once again to consider the assessment of modern scholarship on Swift's description. Again we will resort to Nicolson and Mohler as the only two individuals who have given serious study to Swift's Flying Island and its means of locomotion.
 

Tracing back through the scientific literature on magnetism and loadstones they were impressed with the parallels between the descriptions given by William Gilbert and by Swift. They also considered the immense interest in electricity and magnetism which prevailed during Swift's lifetime. The English were proud of their contributions to this field of knowledge, as indicated by a remark made by John Wallis in a paper read before the Royal Society in 1701:
 

Whoever gave the first Hint of this Invention, certain it is, that the great Improvements of the Magnetick Doctrine are due to the English . . . and Mr. Gilbert's Notion (of the Earths whole Body being but one great Magnet; and lesser Magnets being so many Terrella's sympathizing with the whole) is English also. 

In the second series of the abridged edition of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society an entire section is devoted to Magneticks. There were numerous papers critiquing Gilbert's work, adding thereto, and expanding upon, although his work remained basic to all future studies.
 

In light of this widespread interest in magnetics, Nicolson and Mohler did not find it surprising that Swift would include Gilbert's dipping needle in his 'moon' ship. They felt that this prodigious central device for locomotion was merely a magnification and adaptation of Gilbert's needles. Gilbert's device was a loadstone; so was Swift's. Gilbert's needles could rotate vertically about a horizontal axis; so could Swift's. Gilbert's delicate device could easily be moved from place to place; Swift's loadstone was poised so delicately the weakest hand could turn it.
 

As the globe of earth is at its surface broken and uneven, marred by matters of diverse nature, and hath elevated and convex parts that rise to the height of some miles ...it comes about that this entire earth-energy turns magnetic bodies at its periphery toward stronger massive magnetic parts that are more powerful and that stand above the general level. 

In line with this view Gilbert states that islands are more magnetic than the seas.
 

Swift states that the island cannot move beyond the extent of the dominions below, which are the confines of the island of Balnibarbi. Swift explains that their astronomers have explained this effect for the reason :
 

"that the magentic virtue does not extend beyond the distance of four miles, and that the mineral which acts upon the stone in the bowels of the earth, and in the sea six leagues distant from the shore, is not diffused through the whole globe, but terminated with the limits of the King's dominions."

Nicolson and Mohler admit aspects of Swift's description do not tally with any known source. It was well known that a magnet could not be suspended in the air because the gravitational pull on the magnetic is far greater than any repulsive force it may exert on the weak magnetic field of the earth. Gilbert had made a specific denial of this possibility. Since this fact would be prominent in the mind of all researchers and the general public Swift could not have been ignorant of it. Swift also says that "For in this magnet the forces always act in lines parallel to its direction," a statement which does not fit with properties of magnets. Experiments with iron filings show that the lines of force about a magnet loop from one pole to the other, and thus would be parallel to the magnet body only at its midpoint between the two poles. Thus Swift denies the exact parallel with a magnet. If we were to follow the line that Swift is making a simple parody on science we could accuse him of simple ignorance. But we know now that he was well informed and could be precisely scientific when he so desired.
 

Following along with Swift's 'fiction' we find other problems. The loadstone with its axle rests in a circular hoop of adamant four feet deep. This circular hoop in turn rests upon eight adamantine feet six yards high. Therefore the axle rests in a hoop that is twenty-two feet above the floor of the Astronomer's Cave. How the operators would reach the loadstone is not described by Swift. It certainly would not be easy. Although one end of the load stone would extend downward nine feet, half the length of the stone, the closest approach to the floor of the cave would be thirteen feet. When resting horizontally in its neutral position both ends of the stone would be twenty-two feet up.
 

We must consider the contemporary reports Swift may have drawn upon. They provide insight into the level of technology of his day, and the level at which explanations were offered by our space visitors. He could not be given information beyond the range of concepts available to him in the context of his times. Swift's celestial sources probably drew upon technology then available to the general public. Naturally we shall find parallels with the work of Gilbert and others. How can parallels be avoided if Swift is discussing mechanisms based on magnetics? But Swift himself is not so simple; he is adroit in his use of earthly sources. He not only uses them to provide an explanation; he also uses them to provide a cover for his secret, a means of allusion which appears satirical while still providing real information. What better way to suggest borrowing from Gilbert than to use Gilbert's dimensions for the oblong loadstone?
 

If Swift was informed about the mode of propulsion, how would it have been explained to him? The operators could not invoke electronic terms as we use them today, but they could offer descriptions of the working of loadstones. The science of magnetics had developed to some extent, was popular among both scientists and lay people, and was prevalent in literature. We should expect that Swift, a knowledgeable individual, would have some idea of the function of magnets, their polarities, their diminishing strength with distance, and possible interaction with the earth's magnetic field. These concepts would not have been foreign to him.
 

Work on electrics was far less advanced, with the notion of electronic charge still in the future. (Benjamin Franklin was still probing electric charge through the display of lightning nearly a hundred years later.) It would have been difficult for the operators (astronomers) to explain the propulsion mechanism in terms of magnetic fields generated from electron flow. It would have been difficult also to explain how electronic charges could be accumulated in storage devices, moved from one place to another, and manipulated to control the direction and strength of a magnetic field.
 

Consider the description Swift gives:
 

The declivity of the upper surface, from the circumference to the centre, is the natural cause why all the dews and rains which fall upon the island, are conveyed in small rivulets towards the middle, where they are emptied into four large basins, each of about half a mile in circuit, and two hundred yards distant from the centre.

If the operators wished to impress upon Swift the concept of electronic storage they might very well have used the analogy of water flow. That analogy is used prevalently today to explain electron flow to neophytes in electronic schools. Dew or rain falling upon surfaces would be like electrons striking collector plates in a vacuum tube, or collector plates on the surfaces of flying craft. When water droplets come together they form a trickle of flow in a small rivulet to a basin which serves as a 'water accumulator'. Electrons striking collector plates would flow in a trickle toward a storage device, 'accumulator', or 'battery'. In fact, the word trickle is used in the electronics industry today for a 'trickle charge', and so on.
 

The remarks by Swift on the dews and the rains suggests the operators attempted to explain certain features of the propulsion system. Otherwise he would not have included the remark. They may have presented discussion which offered an elementary explanation of charge accumulation without tying it directly to the loadstone.
 

How very curious that Swift could include a specific item and make it appear as part of a fiction. But when it is compared against the modern reports it takes on an altogether different cast. The basins for the dews and the rains as charge accumulators are an example; the loadstone as a simulation of a sophisticated magnetic propulsion is another.
 

The mechanism of propulsion is magnetic, as far as we are able to understand. A polar device running vertically in the center of the craft appears to be an integral part of the structure. Swift calls it 'the greatest curiosity.'
 

The word 'magnet' comes from the ancient Greek 'ho Magnese lithos', the 'stone of Magnesia.' Magnesia was a town in ancient Anatolia near the Aegean Sea where iron ores with magnetic properties were commonly found.
 

Adamski says they draw on Nature's forces for propulsion but they did not explain how this is done. Fry, on the other hand, says they use any number of energy sources locally available to develop high density electronic charge. He called the storage mechanism a differential accumulator, a 'storage battery.' A control mechanism, not explained to him, permitted flow of vast quantities of electrons in two rings near the top and bottom of the pole that runs vertically through the craft. Once again we see Swift using his satirical ingenuity. Adamski states they can reverse the poles of the magnetic field merely by pushing a button. Swift says that the loadstone is so finely balanced that the weakest hand can turn it.
 

A loadstone of the size he describes would have considerable mass. It is eighteen feet long, and nine feet across at its widest point. With the shape of a weaver's shuttle this would constitute a mass of perhaps five hundred cubic feet. If the loadstone were made of iron its weight would be in excess of eighty tons. Obviously this considerable mass could not be turned by the weakest hand, no matter how finely balanced, simply because of mass inertia. Large flywheels, even if well oiled, are difficult to start because of the inertia; once started they are difficult to stop. Therefore, it appears that Swift's is attempting to describe the reversal of the magnetic field by the 'weakest hand' 'merely by pushing a button.'
 

Adamski remarks that the 'condensers' accept static electricity sent to them from the magnetic pole; he does not say the charge goes from the 'condensers' to the pole. Does the magnetic pole pick up charge from the surrounding environment to send it to the 'differential accumulators?' If the pole has magnetic polarity it would effect the movement of electrons in the vicinity of the craft. Relative motion between an electron and a magnetic field cause the electron to be impelled along a certain path by well-defined physical laws. If the magnetic field of the craft extends outward it may cause electrons nearby to be carried around the periphery of the craft to collector plates, and thence to the charge accumulators. From there the electrons can be controlled to produce electric currents and associated magnetic field for control of flight. In this manner the craft might be self-sufficient, pulling in electronic charge from the atmosphere, and using the accumulated charge to produce the intense magnetic fields. However, this is not a perpetual motion device. It acquires energy from the surrounding atmosphere.
 

According to Fry the charge accumulator is located internal to the craft. The electrons picked up from the environment must be brought to this charge accumulator from the collectors. Adamski's three ball condensers are not the charge accumulators but the collecting devices. Adamski says there were three such devices on each disk craft, but the account by Swift suggests there may be four. Perhaps different designs have either. A photograph of a disk with four 'cavities' is shown in the accompanying Figure.
 

As Adamski and Fry both report, the control mechanism for this function is not explained.
 

the poles might be ionized farther away from the craft, extending upward and downward to produce the shape of a funnel. Tearing electrons from the atomic orbits of air molecules in the neighborhood of a craft might be one method by which the craft accumulate electronic charge. The ionized molecules then spread out until they return to an equilibrium state in the surrounding atmosphere.

(There is a possibility of lasing action on molecules in the immediate vicinity of the craft, with electrons being excited out of their normal orbits, and producing light when they relapse back into those orbits.)
 

The report by Villas-Boas presents a more graphic picture of the central column, with a taper from top and bottom toward a more narrow middle. While he was an uneducated farmer he recognizes that the central column is more than decorative; he suggests that it may support the roof. Villas-Boas did not experience flight of which he was aware; neither were any explanations offered on the operation of the craft or the function of any of its constituent parts.
 

The tapering suggests that the central column is one piece with the shell of the craft. In fact, Swift mentions that the hoop and its feet are one continued piece with the adamantine bottom of the island.
 

This shape is like a doughnut, with the central column forming the hole of the doughnut, and the outside perimeter of the craft forming the exterior of the doughnut. Technically this is called a toroid. This shape is ideal for forming a magnetic field, and is used widely in our present electronics technology. Electrons flowng around the windings of a toroid create a magnetic field with the poles extending upward and downward from the hole of the toroid.
 

According to Fry's account the electrons do not flow around the perimeter of the craft, but in two force rings located near the top and bottom of the craft. This permits changing the attitude of the craft, as well as the magnitude of its field. Fry sketched the small craft in which he was a passenger. However, the design of a small remote controlled craft may be different from a large disk.
 

Other explanations exist of Fry's force rings. The remote controlled craft may have been designed to avoid placing the force rings at the mid-point of the craft. Or, they may have been used for refinement of control in attitude and direction.
 

Again we should regard the difficulty of informing Swift at higher technical levels of electron flow and electronic production of magnetic fields. He would be limited to loadstones as a means of explaining the flight mechanism. Although there was a limit to Swift's understanding there is also a limit to our understanding.
 

Swift was provided with other items of information that can now be compared against the modern reports. Nicolson and Mohler noted the simple 'exaggeration of Gilbertian theory' when they described the limitations on movement of the Flying Island:
 

This island cannot move beyond the extent of the dominions below, nor can it rise above the height of four miles.

This remark is reflected in Adamski:  
 

As the pilot mentioned the words "extended trip" I wondered if this ship could travel between the planets without the aid of a carrier ship. This he disproved, stating that the Scouts are not built for traveling in outer space.

There are sound technical reasons for limitations on movement. If the craft is propelled by interaction with the Earth's magnetic field the design may be useful only where there is sufficient magnetic field available. Outer space may not have fields strong enough to control flight. As they ascend into the atmosphere the magnetic field of the Earth weakens, thus limiting the altitude to which they can control flight.
 

When Swift says they cannot move beyond the extent of the dominions below he could easily be referring to the extent of the dominions of the Earth, although his satirical framework suggests the dominions of Balnibarbi.
 

Still another limitation may be involved. If air molecules are used to strip electrons and thus acquire energy the density of the air may be important. Rarified atmospheres may not provide sufficient energy to rise above certain heights. Swift says this is four miles.
 

Following is Swift's description of the motion of the island which shows a zig-zag, tacking, or flutter motion. Refer to the copy of his illustration.
 

To explain the manner of its progress, let AB represent a line drawn cross the dominions of Balnibarbi, let the line cd represent the loadstone, of which led d be the repelling end, and c the attracting end, the island being over C; let the stone be placed in the position cd with its repelling end downwards; then the island will be driven upward obliquely towards D. When it is arrived at D, let the stone be turned upon its axle till its attracting end points towards E; where if the stone be again turned upon its axle till it stands in the position EF, with its repelling point downward, the island will rise obliquely towards F, where by directing the attracting end towards G, the island may be carried to G, and from G to H, by turning the stone, so as to make its repelling extremity point directly downwards. And thus by changing the situation of the stone as often as there is occasion, the island is made to rise and fall by turns in an oblique direction, and by those alternate risings and fallings (the obliquity being not considerable) is conveyed from one part of the dominions to the other.

In the usual manner we can interpret this passage as a satire on scientific jargon. The technicalities of description are typical of those found in reports on scientific experiments in Swift's day.
 

On the other hand the passage describes the flutter motion so often observed in disk craft. When Bernard Miserey saw a disk drop from a cigar-shaped craft it swayed or wobbled before it took off in rapid flight.
 

However, Swift probably had a different idea in mind. Swift says that by alternate risings and fallings the island is conveyed from one part of the dominions to the other. Swift stresses the obliquity of motion. This implies that the disk craft cannot move exactly parallel to the surface of the earth but must have motion not directly parallel to the magnetic lines of force of the planet. Thus the passage can be understood also as an attempt by Swift to provide technical details on the conditions of flight imposed by interaction with the Earth's magnetic field.
 

Note that the axle of the loadstone can be moved circularly around the groove of the adamantine hoop. With freedom to move in both the horizontal and vertical directions the ends of the loadstone can be made to point in any direction around a full sphere.
 

It may help to summarize the parallels among the several reports.

1) A central chamber: Swift, Adamski, Villas-Boas.

2) A central pole: Adamski, Fry, Villas-Boas. Swift does not describe a pole extending from floor to ceiling but his structure is central to the Flying Island.

3) Magnetic control of motion: Swift, Adamski, Fry.

4) Polarity reversals or changes: Swift, Adamski, Fry.

5) Limitations on movement: Swift, Adamski.

6) Collector devices: Swift, Adamski, Fry.

7) Electronic currents for generation and control of magnetic field: Adamski, Fry.