Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-12-29
The DiVIBing Rod.


lFrom the London Iimes.l
| can add something to the information al
ready published in the Times on the interest
ing subject of "divination relative to dis
covering water sources by the means Of twigs
In my earlier days my father had neighbor
an illtcrate farmer, but rs honest, religious
and guileless as any man that ever lived
lie was about forty-tive when he came 10 re.
side in our immediate vicinity He lived
within 200 yards Of my fathers residence for
some years, hence | had every opportunity
of becoming intimately acquainted with his
character. lie was noted for miles around
for his never failing success in finding avail
able springs for wells. Some of his feats that
| witnessed were simply marvellous. One of
our nearest ncighbors had been searching on
his estate during some months for water. lie
had dug many pits but without success. At
last, when discouraged with his ill-luck and
decided to abandon the undertaking, Mr.
Philo 0he "divnator') volunteered to find
water for him. In an hour he selected
round hilltop rising fifty feet above the sur
rounding terrain--a dry ''sandy-loam' hill
lock, where one would as soon expect to find
buried palace as a spring of water. The
locality appeared so utterly absurd that we
all laughed at the selection. This excited the
declared that he ''would pay for the work if
water was not found there within thirty feet
of the surface. The hitherto batiled neigh
Gor decided to make the final attempt. The
pit was less than fifty yards from the high
road, and well remember stopping morning
and evening as | went to or returned from
the school to note the progress of the we'll
sinking. To the astonshment of the entire
neighbOrhoOd a fine stream or spring of wa
ter was fond at less than twenty feet below
the surface, and supplies to this day the resi-
dence of the owner Of the estate. 1t was ev
identity a subterranean stream which had been
forced upward at this point, and, there only
approached the surface near enough to affect
the ''rod.' Previous to this test, my father
had been utterly skeptical Of Mr.. Philos
powers. This staggered him. and he so far
recnted as to request an essay on his own
property. Two localities were selected, and
beautiful, clear water was found in both,
within ten feet below the surface of the earth
No one had ever dreamed there was any
springs anywhere near the places selected
Mr.. Philo employed a common cherry tree
fork the stump about half an inch in diam
eter the two branches each foot in length
and a quarter of an inch at the small ends
| was at home ona vacation at the time the
two experiments were made on my fathers
property. Mr. Philo cut the forkcd cherry
twg from tree in our garden, and holding
the stump vertically in the air, the two ends
firmly bent and clasped under his little fin
gers, began walking across the terrain His
hands were held on level with his waist
band, the elbows near the side, and the fore
arms horizontal At length the stump began
slowly turning downward. 'It is near here,
said the operator; and at last the stump
turned completely upside down. The place
was marked, and there was the water. \
dozen persons were present, among them my
father and two brothers. They all tried the
twg without any effect l was then asked
to make the essay. 7 was a very strong, hear
ty youth OF seventeen with my temperament
impregnatcd with my temperament imprcg-
mated with the mathematical training | was
receiving in a scientific course at a university,
therefore as little inclined to superstitions of
all kinds as any person could be. l took the
twig as directed, with the firm determination
it should not turn if an ocean were beneath
my feet. was led by Mr. Philo to a point
about twenty yards from his selected place,
but on the opposite side thereof So we ap-
preached the spot from Numerically oppos-
ing directions When within five or six yards
| felt the twig twisting rs though some force
was being applied to the stump. I grasped