Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-18

IAE1 VlM All this hap
q ny pened yesterday
w. evening when. when a
man of the city entered this Office, armed
with mystic witch hazel, a pair OF gold
spectacles, and some chilly facts and state
ments that made that mysterious Wltcn
hazel fairly squirm.
The gentleman full name, and position,
and talk are given below, and though he
sweeps aside the fond imagery of years.
reason must have her sway. Countless oil
prnspectors, gas men and mineral hends,
who fondly hugged the elusive, mystical,
mythical stick, over hill and dale, and lost
or won fortunes over its unaccountable dip,
may take some exceptions TO the demonstra-
tlons given below, and be unwilling TO con-
fess that they were fooled. Nevertheless,
they were.
VI. w. Grier, proprietor of the Dexter
Spring Company, located IL miles north of
this city, has been reading with interest
the discussion going on in the columns OF
THE DISPATCH as to the virtue or efficiency
of the divining rod, and yesterday he FULLY
demonstrated, with the aid of a flexible,
forked witch hazel, just how and why it
was, besides giving some historical points
that will interest every old oil and mineral
prospector.
II think. " said he, "that can give you
some practical information on the divining
rod subject"
OWNING COMPANY
During the great oil excitement of % years
ago when the fever had seized even the stable
business men of this city, our pastor, Rev. r.
II. Boyd, now of California. Mich. a man of
integrity and judgment, told me he had seen
brother preacher, Patterson by name, perform
pna lOnS 90 rs with VII nd in
discovering water oil, or mineral veins. Ny
friend Mr. Boyd was so sangune that1 though
incredulous, was anxious to make some practi-
cal tests, and the prelminaries were arranged
for a real oil divininG company.
Patterson and myself met at Petroleum
Center, then the very heart of the tremendous
oil craze and the testing began. At Pithole
one day. l suggested that the tests begin, but
he with great ilhumor refused, but insisted
and at 10 o'clock that night succeeded in draw
ing him into new railroad grading about 500
feet long. knew. though he was not aware of
my knowledge, that but few DAYS before he
had located at least 20 veins of oil within that
500 feet.
Well. it was very dark. and directed him to
grope his way along the edge of the embank-
ment, ='ith his divining rod held according to
regulations, and whenever it turned, he was to
lay large nail at his heel. When we arrived
at the end of the grade asked him to retrace
his steps and prove the correctness of his loca-
tiuns Every time he said he had struck oil
the return trip. stuck large nail in the
and laid small nail at his point of divination
and on coming back stuck small nail in the
ground at his direction, and all the time we
were in complete darkness.
THE FRAUD EXPOSED.
We slept together that night, and early in
the morning we sought the scene of our labors,
and we found nails scattered every few feet
along our track. and Patterson was greatly
discouraged, but had not done with him. I
was sent up there by responsible men, Lock
hart and Frew to investigate the thing and
was bound to do so. He was very nervous the
night before and l suggested that he try it
again and he started over the route.
followed behind, watching him closely, and
every time he stopped and dropped nail 1
asked, Are you sure and he answered, Il am
every 40 feet dropped nail He then retraced
his steps, and every time his rod dipped at the
place he had previously dropped nail.
! had determined upon a final test and asked
him to please traverse it again. He did so and
followed His rod again pointed to the nails.
but quietly picked up each nail and carried it
some 10 feet from where he had placed it, thus
completely changing their location.
Patterson agreed to one more test and
walked back over the line, his miserable, fraud.
ulent rod pointing to the misplaced nails every
time, thus convincing me that it was all a
ridiculous fraud. There would have been a
fortune in il for me and for him, as ]. S. Pat
terson, Lockhart and Frew and others were rich
and responsible and trusting to my report L
exposed 1t to my company, saying at the same
time that no doubt many good men were de-
ceived by the apparent turning of the fork in
their hands,
OIL UNDER THE DISPATCH.
Here, let me show you,'' continued Mr.. |
Grier, chow supremely ridiculous the idea |
is. Take an end of the fork in each hand, |
with the palm upward, you will find it re- |
quires quite a muscular effort to hold it |
that way with the point toward the sky. |
Now hold it that way a minute.
This was done, and gradually, in spite of |
all the listener could do, the fork turned |
until it pointed downward
Perhaps, he mildly suggested, "perhaps
there is oil under us here"
''Oil, nonsense, said Mr.. Greer, ''there
is a boiler and engine in your cellar, but no
oil. But let us try another location
Another location was tried, and with the /
same result. The hazel Invariably turned, |
and the explanation is simple.
As it requires quite an effort to hold the
hazel in the manner described, the muscles
gradually become tired and relax, with the
lnvariable result of a turning of the fork
because the springy wood exerted force
sufficient to turn itself. If one were to 90
out in middle of the ocean and hold the
hazel for oil, it would finally point down
ward; or if a man were to stand on his
head, the divining rod would finally point
blankly upward.
In connection with this it might be said
that the pet theory Of the divining rod be-
lever, is that like seeks like, therefore a
green witch hazel will point to water: a
hazel capped with an oil-soaked ball will
point to oil; copper, or iron, or gold, or
silver ball will point to its like, though no
one ever tried to see whether cap and bells
would point to a fool.
Another point brought out by Mr. Greer
brings in a clinching argument. Suppose
deviation of even one inch were made from
the center of an oil belt 2, 500 feet deep. At
the surface this slight inclination would
throw the location $685. feet away from the
center.
However, the last and most convincing
argument in the world need only he brought
to bear to dissipate the pet delusions, COM