Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1842-09-14
MIS- C. T. LII A y Y
TElc Owning Rod.

EHc OWNING HGOG.
The art Of discovering water courses I'M
der the surface Of the earth by means Of
green rod newly cut from the peach, hazel
or cherry tree, has been known in Europe
for several years, 1t is SAID the discovery
was made IN Germany, but by whom is
uncertain. Until a very late period it has
been considered an imposturc, and ranked
with the arts Of magiclans and other vain
pretendcrs to mysterious powers This
opinion Of the power of the 'dviuing rod,
or magic wand,' rs it has been termed,
has undoubtedly arisen from the fact that
III the hands Of many persons the action of
the rod is wholly imperceptibic, while in
rthers the attraction OF the water, espCc-
tally if it be near the surface and the vein
large, is surprisingly great. When the
wand is of a brittle nature the attractive
power is so forcibIe as frequently to break
it.
From the numerous experiments mnde
in France, since the commencement Of the
present century, by ThouvencI and other
men of science, the claims Of the djvu!Eg
rod are found TO rest on known material
powers. The art Of finding water by It's
means is well established and promises TO
be Of great utility to our country. The
theory explaining the phenomena of the
magic wand suppOses that the water,
forms with the earth above it, and the flu
ids of the human body, a galrdnic circle
This circle is more or less perfect, as the
state and condition of the body OF the oper-
ator qualities it to be better or worse con-
ductor OF the gaIvanic fuid The human
body is one of the best conductors vet dis
covered, and weakly or deblitatcd persons
nre said to be better conductors than per-
sons in sound health, and the attraction is
greatest when the skin is wet, particularly
the hands and arms. Salt water or weak
solution Of muriatic acid are the best fluids
Tor moistenng the skin. The effect will
be increased if the operator be barelootcd,
his feet and hands having been previously
wetted with either Of the aforesaid fluids,
but if he has silk gloves or silk stockings
on, the rod will not be suspended by an
electric, or in immediate contact with an
electric, no attraction will be felt, and the
degree Of attraction varies rs any substan-
ccs lying between the water and the hand
conduct the galvanc fluid.
Such are some of the facts stated bv
writer's on the subject but of the reality of
the powers attributed to the 'divining rod, ,
we need no foreign authorities to carry
conviction to every intelligent mind. We
have in this city several operators; men of
the most unquGStIOnabIc character, whose
powers have been tested by the sevcrcst
scrutiny, and who have never failed to con-
vince the most incrcduIous. The writer
has known several stout unbelievers thrown
into ;hc most ludicrous predicament by sud-
denly discovering that they themselves
were among the magic, and had all the
powers of the best water finders! The
powers of the 'maglc wand being natural
powers, it on y requires that the natural
means be present in any individual to pro-
ducc the necessary result.
Any person may discover whether he
has the powers of a water finder by the
following experiment Let him cut q
branch OF peach or cherry tree having a
fork wiki two twigs Of length and thick
ness nearly equal, and slender enough to
be quite flexible. If formed correctly it
will nearly represent the letter Y. Let
him lake the small ends Of the twigs, one
in his right hand and another in his left,
and hold it 50 that the main branch, whore
the fork begins, shall be uppermost and
nearly perpendicular to the earth, but q
little incliniug forward Holding it in this
position, let him walk slowly and carefully
over the ground where water is TO be
sought for, and if the body Of the operator
be good gaIvanic conductor, the wand
when over Il vein OF water that is near the
surface, will be drawn forward and DOWN
ward, which Will produce considerable
force; and ii, the vein be large it will point
directly down to the earth. The causes
OF this phenomena being natural, and III
variable as the prnciplr of gravtation,
water will always be found near the sur
lace OF The earth when thus Indicated by
the dVInnS rod, than in other places.
Del. Jour.