The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1893-05-18

he marked the exact spot, ana the men
began digging with violent energy, while
the women and children sat on the slope
and awaited results.
The doctor encouraged them by stories
Of his previous exploits. There's no
chance of failure with this electrical ma
'-.l:ie or mlne. l call lr rne 'lnIaInDIe
water indicator. The old forked stick
Of hazel will sometimes turn over water.
but my way is a heap better. know
exactly how far you have got to dig and
exactly how much water you'll find ]
always know. Then. too. this machine
tells me when | am over any mineral,
such as gold and silver. and how far off
it Is; also how large the quantity |
should have been rich man long ago il
wasn't 30 honest. know of one man
down at Sespe who has mine on his
land worth 81, 900, 900. offered to show
it to him for half, but he offered me only
10 per cent, and of course let him sim.
mer awhile. But came out to give you
newcomers lift without any charge
except nominal, because you're differ
ent kind"
After awhile the strain of excitement
grew too great for speech The men
were far down in the pit they were sink
ing, and every few minutes they were
relieved by others. Ten feet, 20 feet, 80
feet--a rude windlass had long been
brought into use Suddenly hoarse cry
rose from the well: Water! Wateri'
An ample spring in a channel of rock
had been uncovered in such wise that II
was certain that cut could be made SC
as to let it flow to the very door of the
Morisons.
The old doctors eyes fairly biazed with
excitement. Any physician trained in
obscure mental disorders would have
recognized cerebral trouble in his loob
and manner. He burst forth into a shout
Of victory
Edison ought to be herel'' he cried.
"The man is all wrong on electricity.
So are the rest of them. They have nc
system. | can make power direct from
raw material | can take the electricity
straight out Of the coal without burning
it. can set a machine at making
water whenever man wants it. This
Is the way nature does in the heart OF
the earth. Rivers are being created by
electrical action in caverns where not
drop OF rainwater can ever sink. This
spring we have found has nothing to do
with the surface and is not fed by rains.
tits created by electrical action between
two kinds of rock. and it will flow alike
at all seasons"
The settlers listened in dumb amaze
ment, but with full faith in every word,
They named it the "Crane spring" and
praised him with hearty enthusiasm.
They feasted him on the best they had,
escorted him back to Sespe and went
way firm champions of the water doctor
DR.. Crane was man OF more than or
dinary ability, but his education had
been slight and his powers were entirely
unbalanced. Whether he really had the
sensitive organization of the true seer
whether he was deceived or deceiver
sane or not wholly himself, no human
being will ever know. But the records
Of whole districts, and even counties, re-
main to attest to the wonderful discov-
cries Of hidden water that he managed
to make at intervals, in many places, far
apart. He made some egregious failures
also, and in time the community was
divided into two nearly equal bodies re-
spectively arguing for and against his
honesty. Meanwhile he still dwelt in
his lonely cabin. brooding over larger
enterprise
What was the use, he argued, of find
ing spring now and then. or telling
some poor settler where to find his welli
Why not develop at one stroke a river
large river in the Mohave desert-and
so reclaim hundreds of thousands Of
acres of rich land2 By dint of earnest
representation Of the fortunes to be OBJ
tanned he succeeded In enlisting the help
of a number of poor settlers in the vicin.
ity Of Sespe, Gloriana and other places.
They agreed to 60 with him to the Mo.
have desert, dig great pit in the spot
chosen by the doctor and there develop
the hidden river. Then, filing claims on
the adjacent lands. they would lay out q
town and establish colony.
Thus it happened that few weeks
later The Weekly Venturan published
an article that startled the people of
three counties It was headed in full.
face screamers:
ORLANDO THE PROPHET.
He SUccUMBs TO Our INTERVIEWER.
ARE WE ON THE VERGE oFA VAST INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION?
The SAGE OF SEsPE SAYS WE ARE.
These sentences, printed in the largest
available type, loomed over a 3-column
article that was In its way master
piece. Whoever wrote it had fresh,
vivid genius for expressing the situation.
Cranes personal appearance, the very
tones Of his voice, his mingling Of char
latan and fanatic, his whole nature and
history, stood out as under a calcium
light.
"Dr. Crane" said the reporter, CONSENTED
at last to disclose the scientific principles on
which he worked, yielding to tho argument
that no one but himself could apply them"
The ebb and flow Of electricity makes and
unmakes from the simple elements all forms
Of the animal, vegetable and mineral world.
My discovery that tho mineral that we cali
water ts formed In immense quantities in the
earth by electrical currents was followed by
the greater discovery that all minerals are
made In the same way. BY modifying my ap-
paratus for ascertaining tho presence Of water.
was able to discover the exact distance Of de-
posits Of minerals, also their nature and ouan.
tty. Proceeding step farther, became able
70 ind certain places In caves and marrow can
yons, where the natural now of the electric
current caused tho slow deposit Of various
minerals. There are mines In the Sierras
where gold is regularly and consistently formed
In the lower levels.
"Aftar tho hidden rivsr ~ th. Aoh.