The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-10-02

know what's going on here-there are so man,
pipes and wires underneath your streets in New
York-but think there must be water here some
where"
Then one of the older members of the club who
was present remembered and told how when the
cluo mouse was being erected the contractors Law.
Ing the foundations had great difficulty in con-
trolling the rush of water from a vein that was
laid open directly under the spot where the bill.
hard room was afterward located
another day the two friends were guests at the
american Yacht club, at Milton Point Rye ~ Y
Inc club has had good deal of trouble recently
trying to get.a sufficient water supply. Franzius
and Won Uslar found this out when they turned
on the faucet in their bedroom on the second
moor and got no water. At the breakfast table
~ Franzlus rallied his hosts bit and then asked .
why don't you get Won Uslar here to find YOU
some water?"
1t was agreed that the Landrat not only located
supterranean vein of water near by but discov-
ered That 1t led almost under one corner of the
CLUB mouse, where it would be easily accessible
by boring
The so-called rod" that Won Uslar uses is a
very simple device. The metal rod is merely two
pieces or rather fine wire, each about foot long
held together by a flexible joint The dviner
grasps the two free ends, one in each hand
"hlch he holds palm upward. The wooden rods
may be two pieces Joined or a natural forked
gle the apex of which projects forward or upward
AS the diviner, walking about comes over the
the spot where subterranean mineral deposit
or vein Of water is located the rod turns
violently in his hands, usually away from the
pody, and continues to whirl rapidly as long as
the d1vlner remains over the spot and holds the
rod in position
one very curious feature of the rods move.
ment to which the writer's attention was called
Dy Won Usar is that there seems to be involved
sort of closed circuit. Thus, the Landrat saws
II he holds one end Of the rod in his right hand
and places his left hand on the back of the neck
OF another person, who in turn holds the other
END OF the rod in one of his hands the influence
VIII still be felt and the rod will turn when held
over water mineral deposits, even though tha
second person does not possess the mvsterious
power of divinaton
Inc present deep interest in divnng rods in
Germany is of comparatively recent growth vet
the use of dvining rods for locating minerals
water and all sorts of other things was in all
probability practiced in very ancient times nv
men who no doubt possessed the same strange
power. The art was certainly practiced by men
or the Middle Ages, who named 1t rhabdomancv
There Is evidence that the ancient Romans NAV
nave recognized the existence of some such DOW
er by the use of the so-called "virgua divina as
used In taking auguries by means of casting bits
OF sticks, descriptions Of which are found in the
writings of Tacitus and Cicero
The schlageruthe (striking rod or forked twig
OF the German miners of the Harz mountains was
brought to England by miners who we're engaged
by the merchant adventures of Queen Eliza
oeln 3 ume TO em1grate and work in the Cornish
mines the art in general has been in use all
over the world, in spite of the fact that no one
mas SO far found satisfactory explanation for
such gift and that it has generally been attack.
ed and laughed at by science The American In
dlans and the caravan drivers in Western Cobb
employ these rods now to look for water
Just as the peasants in Switzerland and Schles
wlgHolstein have done since time immemorial
Prof. w. F. Barrett, F. R. S.. of Dublin, who Is
regarded as the chief modern investigator of the
subject, believes that it's employment dating as
II ooes from the revival of learning, Is based on
the medlaeval doctrine Of sympathy" that ia
the dropping of trees and the character of the
vegetation give indications of mineral lodes he
meath the earths surface by means of sort Of
attraction
The divining rod has, however been used also
IN searching for any buried object In the south
of france, IN the seventeenth century it was
employed In tracking criminals and heretics Its
ABUSE led to decree of the nquisition in 17O1
lorDlodlng It's employment for purposes of ius
uce. In modern times the wooden rod has haer
nuch used In England and other places for find
ing water, and in this connection either the rod
Or the diviner is caller a "douser"
Sir w. II. Preece, celebrated English electr
,iah' taxing part in a discussion Of the douser's
power In January. 1905, repudated the theory
nat any electric force was involved and record
~ HIS OPINION that Water-finding by douser was
iue 10 mechanlcal vibration, set up by the fric-
ION OF moving water, acting upon sensitive ven.