The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-04-19
ELECTRIC DIVINATION,
APPARATUS THAT INDICATES
COPPER, IRON AND GOLD;
Mapping Out Invisible Veins of
Metal From the Surface of the
Earth-The Principle Employed Is a
Simple One.

Metal From the Surface of tn
Earth-The Principle Employed Is
Simple One.
One of the most ingenious AS vel
as modern applications of electricit,
10 practical use is in the finding 0
hidden metals in the earth A numbe
OF persons. perhaps have dreamed 0
this possibility. But Fred H. Brown
seems to have worked out the ide;
more effectively than any one else.
The principle employed is a simpl,
one. The working of the system de
pends on the fact that metal will con
duct electricity better than ordinar,
dirt or rock. This is frequently il
| lustrated by the return currents of =
| trolley road. If the route original,
provided for them. properly connect
ed set of rails, fails to serve satisfac
torlly, the electricity will leak away
| into the earth, and take the shortest
| possible course to reach the gas and
water pipes there.
Nothing at all novel in the way OF
instruments is required in this work,
| IL Is necessary only to supply a small
portable battery, device like a gal
Vanometer, for measuring the resist
ance offered to the flow of the cur
rent, and two wires terminating in
pointed metal rods which can be thrust
into the ground. These are inserted
into the earth, with an interval of
several hundred feet between them.
and the resistance carefully observed
and recorded. The positions may be
marked with surveyors stakes, for
subsequent reference, then both metal
RODS are pulled up, carried along in
the same general direction-say to
the southward-and again thrust into
the soil. the distance between them
being the same as before. After a
number of repetitions of this perform
ance, it may be discovered that the
recorded readings show considerable
differences. If SO, the lowest one will
indicate the proximity of metal in the
ground
AT the outset the operator may have
no Idea either of the existence of the
vein or the direction in which it runs.
The former having been revealed, the
latter is next investigated One ter
mlnal is inserted at a spot giving a low
reading. and the other, carried about
IN the hand, is swung to and fro SLOW
ly. while sharp watch of the meas
urlng instrument is kept. When a
minimum of resistance is observed, the
Tree terminal is stuck into the earth,
and the same tactics pursued with
the other one. 1t is asserted that the
metal rods are finally found to be
standing directly above the vein. And
with proper care it is possible to map
out irregularities and ramifications,
as we'll as the principal deposit.
Two trials of his apparatus are
mentioned by The Western Electri.
clan. One was in Montana. On either
side of the metallic streak the resist
ance was $4,000 ohms. Immediately
over a rich vein Of copper 1t dropped
to Sc ohms. The other test was In
Michigan. In place where the per-
centage of native copper in the rock
was only from two and one-half to
three and one-half per cent. Here
the resistance of the adjacent soil was
5000 or 10000 ohms, while over the
vein it dropped to 1000: The latter
exploration was conducted in a crude
and imperfect fashion. Had it been
carried further, perhaps the readings
would have fallen to 200 or 300.
Dampness in the earth improves its
but not to so great an
extent as metal. Moisture will per-
ceptibly affect the figures obtained
with the electric divining rod, but the
expert cannot be deceived. He learns
n time to recognize other Influences
which affect the readings and to dis
inguish between them and the object
n view. Copper and iron, of course.
lave the highest electrical conduc-
ivity, and consequently show very
ow resistance. But it is possible to
ind gold, also, by the method here
described
Some notion of the depths at which
metallic deposit lies may be derived
rom the interval between the two
criminals at which the best results
re obtained. Thus. if a vein of cop
er did not come within 200 feet of
he surface. and the two pointed rods
we're placed only so feet apart. the
urrent might travel almost straight
rom one to the other at a depth of
My a few feet. 1t would encounter
ess resistance in doing so than in
living 100 feet traversing the copper
Or so more and then coming up again.
the rods are SO planted
hat the distance between them is
vice as great as that at which the
fetal is supposed to be from the sur
ace
The inventor has succeeded in inter
sting in this apparatus James ]. Hill
resident of the Great Northern Rail
ay; Mr.. Oliver, the head of the Oliver
on and Steel Company, and a number
other men prominently identified
18th the mineral interests of the
orthwest. They will put it to use in
'cating unknown deposits in that part
! the country.
San Francisco is the leading whaling {