Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-03-22
Experience With Water Rods.

About ten years ago l commenced
making wells as a business, working in
: the States of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas
land Nebraska: also to some extent In
Indiana and Ohio. | could readily see
that if there was any means by which
stream of water could be located before
the well was dug, bored or drilled, it
would be great point gained. pro-
cceded to form the acquaintance OF sew
eraI of these sswater Witches" edwin
ing rod men, or ''peach-tree sprout
sayants." | had a machine with which
/ could bore down from fifty to eighty
feet per day where there was no rock,
and these water prophets soon informed
me that had a bonanza; by employing
one of their number to locate the wells,
| could run Il score of machines, and
soon be the happy possessor of shekels
withou5 limit. Bu. the scheme did not
pan out according to the programme.
They located the places to bore, and
gave exact depths; but alas! | have yet
to find the first place where their
prophecies proved true.
These failures caused me to doubt
their ability to do what they claimed
they could do. next tested them in a
more convincing way. took the whole
crew Give of them) with me in company
with man for whom | was to make a
well on the open prairie. They (the
"water witches'O all united in To-
eating stream of water at a certain
point, and we drove a short stake down.
They said that two streams crossed at
that point, one about three feet below
the. other. They traced all around, and
found no other indications of water, ex-
10, N IL la
the ground-I to get my machine, and
they to hunt for cool shade. When
all were out of sight, went back and
removed the stake to point fifteen
yards away, and drove it down where
they had said there was no water in q
hundred feet. | then got my machine
on the ground, but failed to find the
stake-at least so alleged, and sent a
man for the s'water witches" They
came on the ground the second time.
the two streams TO it. This was too
much of a ''give away" and [ bounced
the whole lot. These parties located
first water at thirty seven feet, second
water at forty feet. We bored in both
places, and found water in each at
ninety-seven feet.
After this transaction, 1 made it my
business to test every man who claimed
to locate water, which did thoroughly
for over three years, and never found
one that could tell any more about it
than ! could, and assure you 1 could
tell nothing at all by the aid of
"sprouts," s'rods," or other similar
means. My business has thrown me
into contact with a multitude of this
class. L never found one who offered
to locate water for five dollars and pay
for the work if we did not find it. In
one instance, at Sabetha, Kas., the
owners of a steam mill had offered me
$500 to get them water to run their
engine, and this old water-witch offered
to guarantee the place for five dollars
l offered him twenty-five dollars, and
the owner of the mill offered him twen-
ty-five dollars more. He tramped over
the ground, spending near a day, and
drove his stake, and then took angles
and bearings from the mill, SO that we
could not be charged with removing it.
He located an abundance of water at
forty feet, and said there was no other
water within half MILE We bored a
hole ninety-two feet deep, and strictly
vertical. and the mill men sunk a shalt
ten feet in diameter sixty feet, and did
not find any water. We afterward
= bored a hole eighteen feet deep about
sixty rods away, in a place where the
watermelon had said there was none,
and found water that furnished sixty
gallons per minute.
As to the action of the forked stick in
these mems hands: will take the same
stick, and when it turns down for them,
il will turn up or otherwise for me ut
my pleasure, and will defy any one to
note any action of my muscles; but
nevertheless they do act. The peculiar
way in which the stick is grasped causes
us all to look at the fingers, hands or
wrists for the action; but tits not there
The least separation of the arms, or the
bringing them closertogether, even so
slightly rs not to be di>cernible, will
cause the point of the stick to rise or
fall. This action may be increased by
an indiscernlble action of the muscles of
the hand or tingers.-Cor. Country Gen
tternan.