The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-06
WATER WITCHERY.
Why IT Is THAT SOME PEOPLE
ARE ABLE TO DISCOVER WATER.

WHY TT Is THAT SOME PEOPLE
ARE ABLE TO DISCOVER WATER.
The Philosophy of the Divining Rod rs
Elucida ted by Wisconsin savant-Six
Rules About wHter and How 1t May
Be Found-A Striking Case.
Our modern time sorcery is water witch
cry. Skeptics are TO be confronted on
every hand; men who laugh at the idea
that there is any other way TO find vein
of water than TO dig for it; unbelievers
who regard the water philosopher either as
a knaye or fool 1t seems to be a law of
self preservation that men will trust in
nothing until they have seen it tried time
and again.
This fact alone remains undisputed, that
there is water beneath. 1t runs in veins
far down below the surface of the earth, in
assures that it has worn for itself between
the layers of rock and soil. But there is
the problem, how is man to know where
the water runs? Must he dig blindly and
trust TO chance and his own imperfect
lOE SttCCcSSluI OQS~O1tC. Ia.
nature or her God provided great supply
of something so necessary as water, rum
ming everywhere IN the bowels of the earth,
without which man and beast would suffer
and all the earth be barren waste and given
no other way to find the treasure than by
haphaZard digging?
One can reasonably expect such q pro-
vision. It is not, however, for even the
greatest to judge save by the facts that
have been recorded from time to time by
men who have felt enough interest in SCH
entifc research to make record. First
that you can find of the science of divining
comes from France. There man by the
name Of Bleton made observations, and
had the good sense to write upon paper the
progress he had made. So far did he dis
cover the conditions of water witching,
that among the learned the ability TO dis
cover subterranean veins came to be called
Bletonism.
HOW OWNING is DONE.
For apparatus there is nothing needed
but freshly cut forked switch of peach,
hazel or willow. 1t must be of the last
years growth. SO as to be small, slim and
full of sap The tapering tipped ends ara
palms are held above. The fork is brought
upward in the shape of an inverted V,
thus: A. In the hands of those for whom
it will work-and they are more than one
would think-the forked end will be at
tracted as the medium approaches vein
of water, if it be living spring water and
not dead and stagnant. The rod will also
be attracted by silver or iron or any other
metal that has liking for electricity.
The moment that the twig comes within
the field of the water veins it Will curve
downward in spite of all that can be done.
Even if the limb is grasped so tightly that
the hands turn purple and the bark is torl
the switch will bend Unseen behind it is
a mighty force of nature. At first it points
downward at an angle of As dogs, but as
the operator advances the twig begins to
straighten.
By the time that the medium reaches the
point just over the vein the limb attains its
usual shape and points directlyu up. When
the assure of ore or water Is passed The
twig will point backward and right toward
the vein. 1t is in this way not difficult
thing to locate the vein. 1t is a harder
matter to tell the depth at which water
will be found For this there is only one
rule that has for its testimonial anything
reasonable 1t is known as the IS deg. rule
The distance from the point where the
degs. to the place over the vein where it is
in no way affected is equsl to the depth OF
the vein beneath the surface OF the. earth.
sKEPTIC CURED.
DR. Adam Clark was one of the worst
skeptics on this matter that ever disbe-
lieved. As Wesleyan Methodist preacher
he was sent to the Guernsey islands, in the
British channel He soon found that water
was the great thing needful. Cisterns had
been resorted to, but drought frequently
prevailed There was dire suffering among
the people.
A man came forward who claimed to
have the power of divining. He offered tC
find water if it was to be found. But DR.
Clark stormed and denounced him. He or
dered the fellow away, and said he would
have no such cheat around him. The man,
however, was persistent. A spot was
chosen. Water was predicted, and water
was found Trial followed trial, and over
and over there was the same happy result
DR.. Clark was astouished. As all did not
have the power of water philosophy, he
concluded, in his piety, that the faculty
was a gift that God had given to some for
the benefit of the human race. DR.. Adam
Clark lived a hundred years ago. Before a
half century had passed a Wisconsin phil
osopher had figured out for himself what
he called the laws of divining. They ars
six:
That wonderful fluid electricity IS dis
tributed throughout tie whole earth, but
some bodies generate or fmbibe more of il
than others. Those that contain more thar
natural are said to be positively. and those
which contain less to be negatively
charged.
THE LAWS OF OWNING.
"One of the established laws Of electric
ity is found in the fact that two bodies
ootn positively or both negatively charged
invariably repel each other. while if one Is
positively and the other negatively charged
they uniformly attract each other
1T is well known that the best subterra
mean conductors are beds Of ore or native
metals and veins of water 1t is their ma
ture TO extract the latent fluid from sur
rounding objects and absorb it themselves
hence where these exist there viii be tia
most electricity.
TN general the human body is also Z
good conductor, but there are some exccp
tons. Some men usually imbibe the mega
tive and positive IN such equal quautltie.
as 10 maintain an equilibrium in their gys
TENS, the rod IN the hands OF such viii no
be sensIbly affected. Others are suTchargeC
and have more than their share and pro
duce positive electricity. Such. il IS said
if they have black hair, viii, Il rubbed Il
cold weather, emit sparks
An individual containing a very SINAI
amount of electricity, or who Is highly
charged, and only such can operate {: b.
takes the rod in his hands a. passes oye