The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-04-22
Witching for Water.
G.. E. Kittinscr, In Dakota Farmer.

for water, and yet I believe the
results obtained are capable Of
the best scientific explanation.
An idea is notsMecessarily dan.
gerous becauseyou don't fully
understand it. Those who scott
at the idea of witching for
water may just as reasonably
SCOT at the idea of the magnetic
needle pointing toward the
magnetic pole thousands of
miles away. 1t is a. well known
TACT that the earth itself is a
vast magnet, and that water is
Il good conductor of electricity
and that sou e people are more
suspectible to electricity than
others.
1t is also we'll known that to
generate current of electricity
here must he a positive and at
negative pole, other Use there
would be no current. The
positive will not attract the
positive, neither will the mega
live attract the negative. Aud
The reason that some people
cannot witch for water is that
5hey are charged with the same
kind ut electricity as the water
below them.
Those who IAN witch for
water are oppositely electrified
% the water below. and as they
approach the vain of water in
the ground below current is
:st;, blished that acts upon the
wire, drawing it down just as
che electricity drawssdown the
ticker in a telegraph .ffice.
Your feet upon the ground
,ver the water makes a COM
plete connection and the circuit
IS established. Now glass is al,
insulator, that is why there is
. glass knob put ON telegraph
poles. tits put there to prevent
She electric itv from running
down the poles, People are
killed by lightning and other
'lectric currents passing
through thrir body into the
ground, but if person, stood
N Il /; board that rested on glass
tumblcre or jelly glasses, light
ling could not kill them, as it
ould not form II connection
with the ground through tlieir
bodies OIL. account of the insu-
!ating glass below. The men
who repairclectric lights carry
ing heavy currents, have their
staging fastened To glass SUP
,orts, and they can tllenilantllt'
live wires without harm. Now
If my theoryis correct in regard
to electricity turning Il wire or
switch over Il vein of water in
the ground. it fought not to- turn
thu switch if Il person stood on
Il ] o lrd, resting ON glass. as
hat would break the connec-
ton.
Near my house runs a vein
that I,,found wit!.a switch and.
on which l dug u we'll in 50.
The gravel is twenty-five feet
Town and extends to Il depth
f tllirtv-two feet aud yet does
lot always furnish enough
water. This vein sometimes
attracts my switch for about a
rod OH each side of the center.
To prove my theory I put 81
board on four jelly glasses
directly over the center of THE
vcin on level ground, then GO
ing to tic side approached the
board with my switch. When
about a rod. from the board the
switch. began to pull. l held on
tightly and did not allow it to
turn clear down stepping upon
the board when 1 reached it.
The moment l. stepped on the
board the switch suit pulling
and as soon as; stepped Of on
the other side it began again
the instance my feet; touche'
the ground, This 1 consid r
positive proof. and should L.,
glad to hear FROM others after
trial to see if it works the san e
with them.
In the Scientific American a
few years ago was am account
of foreigner who, with a bent
wire, claimed lie could locate a.
vein of water. He claimed he
could get to the upper story of
a building aud tAe iirenN n
could go into the story belov.
with their hose and crook j.
around as much as they wal ted
to, and he with his wire woul.
locate every bendin itby mark
ing on the floor with chalk.
The trial was made and result
ed just as. the foreigner had
claimed. He marked it's exact
and was then taken t.:
find the. Crotons acqueduct,