A small backyard Observatory Dome made from Allunimum which was once located in Pittsburghs Northside was a wonder of its day.

A small silver aluminum dome once sat upon the rear building behind a house on Ivory Ave. near US19 Perrysville Ave.
most people pass it everyday never knew it was there,  they never knew what its significance was and sadly  never knew it has since been moved and preserved. .But it played a very significant role in Astronomy History when Leo Scanlon who I knew thru the Pittsburgh Mineral and Lapidary Society he was a long time member and past president and a man of great knowledge and skilled gem polisher and had a  great wit. But his other love was Astronomy which he helped start the Amateur Astronomy society of Pittsburgh.

At the time the dome was built in 1930 by Leo and his friends of the Amateur Astronomy Society of Pittsburgh  it was the single biggest piece of aluminum construction in the world.

and even rotated at one point till it had to be sealed off due to leaks. 

I got to talk to Leo the day of the State Marker dedication in 98 and Leo still remembered me despite now being in his late 90,s and probably 30+ years since we had last meet.

http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19991129scanlonobit8.asp

Leo would pass shortly after the marker was dedicated unfortunately and the area lost a great man who many never knew what he had contributed to the area.

A Forgotten Christmas Time Refinery Fire near Heidelberg Pa.? where 2 fireman died en route to the fire

You often here about fires and Explosions around the Tri-state area in the early 1900s as the area was expanding but even being a Volunteer Firefighter  interested in history of fire service in the area not even I knew of a horrible tragedy caused on  a dark Foggy night on December 25th 1928  exactly 90 Years to the day  a Fire would break at at  the Carnegie Refining Company on its 20 acre site in Heidelberg Pa .
An all hands call was put out and firefighters from surrounding community's responded including
Stowe Twp. VFD all the way from over near Mckeesrocks with 10 firefighters on a Truck in the days before firefighter safety when you hung on for dear life there where no enclosed cabs and seat belts.
Trucks where much smaller back then and was probably overloaded.
As members of Stowe Twp. VFD Hose Company number 2# and Hose Company #4    riding on a 1924 American Lafrance Pumper when it missed a curve on Wind Gap Road  and plunged over a hill side.

https://www.fireengineering.com/articles/print/volume-82/issue-5/features/three-men-killed-when-pumper-crashes-down-road-embankment.html

http://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/11062/heidelberg-pa-refining-company-fire-dec-1928

instantly killing 2 Firefighters Adolph Sonnet 30 and Joseph DePetro 45  and a 3rd  Carl Moyer who succumbed to his wounds days later as well as 8 firefighters severely hurt.
All back in a day without modern trauma centers and 24 hr full time staffed emergency rooms .
A miracle in it self any survived .

But this was not first fire on this site the Etna chemical company  was once on this site and suffered a catastrophic explosion during WWI 

I can find no mention of this explosion under the Etna name  but there was a catastrophic explosion killed 200 at Aetna Chemical Company  Oakdale which is  near Heidelberg in 1917 and again in 1918

http://www.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/17026/oakdale-pa-aetna-chemical-plant-explosion-may-1918

Seems Oakdale and Heidelberg name where interchanged in various articles of the day.

A Weird Anomally and possible Big Foot Sighting along Pa. Toll 66 and Im not only one who has noticed it.

I use Toll 66 which runs from Delmont to Pa Turnpike in New Stanton Frequently when working in Fayette County Pa or WV.  One strange anomaly I have had happen is when going south bound from Delmont to Greensburg I have actually had compasses  I have had in my 2  trucks reverse and instead of pointing south they point north .But it does not always do it. I have caulked it up to some anomaly or the strong High Tension power wires and Microwave towers in that particular stretch .

Other people I know have observed it as well.

But this past Wednesday Evening11/28/2018 around 9PM  myself a friend who helps me on occasion and motorist driving beside me while driving northbound in the stretch between Greensburg and Delmont one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen while driving  in my 43 years behind the wheel occurred .

It was an extremely Dark night and was having wave after wave of rain and drizzle as we drove home
I was just coming up on the Natural gas Compressor Plant  along the road when behind one of the waves there appeared to be something in the road myself and driver beside me slammed on the brakes ,waking my dozing helper.

There in front of us for all of about 10 to15 seconds appeared some kind of all gray object about the size and shape of a Big Foot  but it was like it was a silhouette at first I thought some one playing games and just as fast it broke up and disappeared.
My helper blurts out WTF is that and  older driver in SUV beside me had stopped rolled down his window and asked if we where OK and what the hell just happened . I said I had no idea  wondered if it was a prank or something and he rolled up his window and proceeded on.

I initially contacted Fred Saluga  A well know Big Foot investigator from the Weirton  West Virginia  area who has many years of experience in the field  and discussed it with him and will be filing a report with him .Hopefully Fred and I will be able to check out the site some day .

Fred with casts of suspected Big Foot Prints

http://thesupercon.com/index.php/2018/05/08/fred-saluga/

  Fred is also interested in talking to individuals who have had encounters be they in  WV.  PA. or OH. You can contact Fred Saluaga at :    paranormal1949@aol.com or 1-304-564-7165

 I also remembered and called 
and talked to Stan Gordon the famous UFO Researcher

http://www.stangordon.info/wp/

As I remember him talking about Big foot encounters he has been getting reports on when he was speaking at the Hill View Para-con
and told him what had happen and he tells me he has been getting all kind of reports like this on local state roads especially on rainy drizzling night .  in Delmont all way up to Derry Twp.  and along the Chestnut Ridge .Some type of mass or creature standing in or beside road and then it disappears.

OK so if its happening else where is it some one plying with a 3d type projector  like you saw on Star wars or is it something else?

Some speculate that a portal is opening and closing and that is what we are seeing and many argue is that Big foot if that is in fact what we saw is interdementional .

an Engineer I know thinks could have been a lighting anomaly of our combined headlights and he mist  

While Stan Gordon and I both discussed that these Big Foot sightings all seem to happen around sources of energy High tension  Power Lines , Radio Transmission Towers, and coal Mining   etc at the Hill View Para-con

So what is going on? who knows but it sure scared the hell out of us and happened too fast to get a picture on a digital camera.

Granted it was long day and you get drowsy on way back  and might imagine something but when your helper sees it as well as another driver that rules that out as well.

As technology advances maybe we will finally get answers and if you do have a weird sighting please contact Stan Gordon and let him know.

 Editors Note:
My Apology to Fred Saluga this post was prematurely posted when I hit wrong key and did not realize it had published on google blog with out being fully edited and put in Fred's information
Been having high blood sugar issues which is causing my chemo Brain that much more confusion. which is why you may see some misspells etc.  But at least still here and functioning and hoping to post many more interesting articles. .