Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1853-03-26
WELL-DIGGING.
PEAIRIE pU CHEN, WIS.,, Jan. l. ls5

face; and no part of the operation is of NOR
intrinsic Importance than that Of ascertainin.
where to dig, which will be the chief topic O
consideration in this communication.
am aware of the difficulty of convincing
some men that things may be facts, which the,
cannot understand the why and wherefore of o
/ comprehend the reason for And know as wei
that the same skepticism would exist as to thei
own existence, and to a thousand other facts
the reason for which we do not comprehend an,
better, or more clearly than that in reference tC
finding water under ground; but because the,
are common, and of everyday occurrence, W.
never think of the why and the wherefore o
/ their existence. They are matters of fact, aHe
we should be regarded as candidates for some
lunatic asylum if we questioned them.
True philosophy does not inquire for the rea
sons for thing before it admits the fact of it;
existence, but ascertans first if it be fact ant
if it is So en- to inquire after the reasons fol
it. This will be the course pursued in this es
say That water runs in veins in the earth is 8
fact now so universally admitted, or rather
known that if in digging well, the digger hits
upon the vein, he gets good spring or living wa
ter But the question is, how are we to ascer
tain where to dig in order to strike this vein? OF
is it fact that some men, and even women, can
tell, bv any means where water can thus be
found? 1t will be admitted that II u is So it is
of more importance to any dry or springess
portion of the country than turnpikes, plank, OIL
railroads; for what is the soil worth without iv-
ing water? 1t will also be admitted that, if Ma
ture or Natures God has provided an ample
supply Of so useful and necessary an element as
water, running in all directions in the bowels OF
the earth, the work would be incomplete, and
man and beast might suffer, or great portion
of the earth must be left barren waste, unless
the same goodness which provided the supply
also provided means by which its location could
be ascertaned with more certainty than by hap
hazard digging. This | take to he reasonable;
and if So reason favOrS the probability of such
a provision. The first point to establish is the
fact that some men can direct the well-digger
where to strike the vein; and then, secondly, to
show the law of nature by which this is done.
As to the first point, it must be established by
tacts in the mouths of competent Witnesses
Il is done by what is now scientifically called
Bletonism, which is defined by Webster to be
'the faculty of perceiving and indicating sub
terraneous springs and currents by sensation;
sc called from one B etOn, of France, who pos
sessed this faculty" Some called it divining,
or raising the divining rod; some, water philos-
ophy; and others, 'waer wltchery.
The most ordinary instrument used is fork,
Of peach, hazel, or willow, of the last years
growth so as to be small, slim, and full of sap.
The tip ends are placed horizontally in the
hands The palms ,of which are upward; this
brings the fork upward in the shape of an inver-
ted E-thus, 4; aud in the hands of those with
whom it will work-for it does not work with
every one-this fork-end is attracted by the wa
ter, If living spring-water, under ground, but
not by dead or standing stagnant water; nor by
what is called Seep water. 1t is also attracted
by silver, iron, or other metals which attract the
electric fluid; for electricity is the secret of the
matter, after all. But to the facts
In 1912 I settled on springless farm in Ohio,
expecting to obtain water by digging awell. A
neiglbor of mine, who had on an adj joining
farm obtained good water only fourteen feet un-
der the surface Of the ground, by means of this
BletoniSm, urged me to try the same MEANS
But being of the class who could not, or rather
would not, believe in what could not cOnpre-
hend, | declined resorting to what to me, us to
others, appeared TO be consummate nonsense,
and spent my leisure time III the dry time of
three years in digging but found no water. At
length, despairing of finding water in this way,
and having curiosity to test this new science,
Invited a"water philosopher to try his skill for
me. 1t is proper to observe thai this man was
an independent farmer, a man of intelligence
and high moral worth; and as he performed in
this matter without fee or reward, had no pos
sible ground for suspecting any design of hum
buggery on his part. And further, he told me
that he knew no more of the reason, the why
or wherefore, it worked in his hands, while it
would not in those of others, than | did. By
mere accident he ascertained that he was zone of
'em;" and on discovering this, he experimental
until he discovered this fact-that the rod would
be attracted at an angle of AS, and that from
the point at which the attraction commenced 20
where the attraction was perpendicular, would
indicate the depth to dig to reach the water
All this, however-his high character and his
explanatiOnS-did not remove my doubts. He
prepared his peach twig-fork, and | placed him
over a well which | had dug, and was at this
time full of surface or Seep-water; wishing, if
possible, not to lose the labor thus expended.
But this seep-water had mo effect whatever on
the rod. The operator then travelled slowly, |
keeping my eye upon the rod and his hands, to
see if the turning of the rod was not from the
motion of his own hands At length the butt
or fork-end of the rod went down; the operator
holding his hands upon the rod so tightly, to
prevent its slipping, that they turned purple,
and could plainly see that the twig-ends of the
rod did not slip or turn round in his hand, but
that the twigs actually twisted so that the bark
broke and gave way. When | saw this | give
it up. What saw with my own eyes, and that,
too, against strong prejudices, could not doubt.
He selected the point where the dip of the rod
was the strongest, and measured the depth by
the 450 rule, and | stuck the stake to dig by;
and in the ensuing autumn, when all was dry, l
dug and found the depth, quantity, and quality
of the water just as he had told me. With
such facts before me could no longer disbe-
lieve, because had not then ascertained the
reasons for it, or the law of nature by which
such events were brought about. Shortly after
this saw statement in the public prints-ta-
ken, believe from the Culticator, of n. York,
over the signature of respectable Quaker of
that State-to the following effect: A friend OF
his called upon him, and, among other things,
his farm, its beauty and high state of cultiva-
ton, came up as a topic of conversation, and
the owner observed that he would sell 1t at half
its value, because there was no living or spring
water on it. His friend inquired, "why don't
thee digp'' II have" was the reply, 'dug sew
eral wells, some of them ninety feet deep, and
get nothing but seepwater, which is not good"
"But," continued his friend, "why don't thee get
IL