The presence of the ganglia or enlargements on the cords give them their chainlike appearance.
"Special Report on Diseases of Cattle"
U.S. Department of Agriculture J.R. Mohler
Looking toward Mount Rainier, he saw nine gleaming disks outlined against the snow, each one about the size of a C-54. "They flew close to the mountaintops, in a diagonal chainlike line," he said later.
"The Flying Saucers are Real"
Donald Keyhoe