Sharp County record., 1890-03-13

SJne awning TOu lHuuCcS Iuc w NOi
tribute notes based upon practical re-
suits extending over period of thirty
years, which | hope will enlighten as
well as interest your readers who have
at various times exhibited desire to
understand this mysterious method OF
ascertaining the locality of water as
well as metallic veins in mining regions.
In the first place, reference is made in
the Scripture to the use of the divining
rod, and the Corinth miners are well ac-
quainted with its value in determining
the run of metaliferous veins, whose
porosity enables water to reach its des-
tination.
l have tried the divining rod in
various countries with much success,
notably in the Sierra Madre mountains
of Spain, the test resulting in the dis
covery of calamine and silver lead;
again in the interior of Norway, reveal
ing the presence of apatite; also in the
sulphur and copper mines of Ireland,
where frequently experimental with
different miners and ore dressers with
interesting results. A dresser of cop
per ore, whose hair and beard had be-
come sea green by copper held in So
luton being deposited by the wind and
rain, made a good subject for pros
pecting party
Again | discovered maganese on a
nobleman's estate, but his agent disbe-
lieved in the whole affair, especially
when he heard of sane individual
walking steadily over the mountains
with an ash twig in his hands.
have tried it with the same success
over the iron range in Alabama, and I
was the first to report upon the Ca
madam copper deposits at Sudbury dur
ing the construction of the Canadian
Pacific railroad, which have since de-
veloped into one of the largest and most
valuable copper mining and smelling
districts in America.
AS to the truth and correctness of tho
rod there can be no doubt, but the re-
suits vary with different people passing
over the same ground, and my observa-
tion has indicated that the best subjects
were young men, especially those living
in the neighborhood of iron deposits,
where the water used for domestic pur-
poses was impregnated to a greater or
less degree with that metal
With regard to the divining rods APP
plication in locating the presence Of
water, it applies more particularly to
vertical strata, which generally APP
proach nearer the surface. Any ono
having rudimentary knowledge of
geology knows that the earth's crest is
composed of rocks, both compact and por-
ous and that a plentiful supply of water
can always be relied upon in temperate
climate where the rainfall occurs at all
seasons of the year. simply by making
an open casting at right angles and
sinking a shaft in the most suitable
strata. This subject is one the value Of
which can not be overestimated, and is,
regret to say, little understood by
country residents, whose water supply
is usually taken within radius of few
feet from where the slops are thrown
from the back door. The consequence
is that the slops easily percolate through
to the place from which water is drawn
to supply the requirements of the house,
hold before having had an opportunity
to purify, and to this source much sick
ness may be attributed.
For the information Of your readers
who wish to experiment with the rod, 1
say let them select pliable young
branch of tree which includes q fork,
the prongs to be about eighteen inches
in length. Bend the ends for the pur-
pose of obtaining firm grasp, Hold
the arms horizontally, with the fork
pointing upward, and commence walk
ing slowly and steadily across the
stratum, and not along its course. The
presence Of minerals or water, or both,
will be indicated by the point of the
fork yielding to the attraction UNDER
meath and if the stratum is highly
mineralizod or sufficiently porous to
enable water to pass through the
fractures to its destination the fork will
continue to descend until it completes
an arc of $50 degrees, resuming its
original position as soon as the pros
pector has passed beyond the influence.
IN. Y. Times.