The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1913-10-02

know what's going on here-there many
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
club house was being erected, the contractors lay
ing the foundations had great difficulty In con-
trolling the rush of water from vein that
laid open directly under the spot where the bill
lizard afterward located.
Another day the two friends guests at the
American Yacht club at Milton Point, Rye, N. Y.
The club has had a good deal OF trouble recently
trying to get a sufficient water supply Franzius
and Won Uslar found this out when they turned
the faucet in their bedroom on the second
floor and got no water. At the breakfast table
Franzius rallied his hosts bit, and then asked
why don't you get Won Usar here to find you
some water?'
1t was agreed that the Landrat not only located
a subterranean vein of water near by, but dscov-
cred that IL led almost under corner OF the
club house, where 1t 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 of rather fine WIRE each about foot long,
held together by a flexible joint. The diviner
grasps the two free ends, in each hand,
which he holds palm upward. The wooden rods
may be two pieces joined natural forked
twg. The flexible joint of the rod forms an
gle the apex of which projects forward or upward
the spot where subterranean mineral deposit
a vein OF water is located, the rod turns
violently in his hands, usually away from the
body, and continues to whirl rapidly as LONG
the diviner remains the spot and holds the
rod in position.
One very curious feature of the rods move
ment, to which the writer's attention called
by Won Uslar is that there to be involved
sort OF closed circuit Thus, the Landrat says
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 of his hands the influence
will still be felt and the rod will turn when held
over water or mineral deposits, even though the
second person does not possess the mysterious
power OF divination.
The present deep interest in divining rods in
Germany Is Of comparatively recent growth, yet
the use of divining rods for locating minerals,
water and all sorts of other things was in all
probability practiced in very ancient times by
men who no doubt possessed the same strange
power The art certainly practced by men
of the Middle Ages, who named It rhabdomancy.
There is evidence that the ancient Romans may
have recognized the existence Of some such pow
by the of the socaed "virgula divina," as
used in taking augurles by of casting bits
Of sticks, descriptions OF which found in the
writings of Tactus and Cicero.
The schlageruthe (striking rod or forked twig
of the German miners of the Harz mountains was
brought to England by miners who engaged
by the merchant adventures Of Queen Eliza
beth's time to emigrate and work in the Cornish
mines The art in general has been in all
the world, in spite of the fact that one
has far found a satisfactory explanation for
such gift and that 1t has generally been attack
ed and laughed at by science. The American In.
dams and the caravan drivers In Western COBB
employ these rods even now to look for water
just the peasants in Switzerland and Schles
wg-Hostein have done since time immemorial
Prof w. F. Barrett, f. r. s., of Dublin, who IL
regarded the chief modern investigator OF the
subject, believes that its employment, dating as
II does from the revival of learning, is based on
the medieval doctrine OF sympathy" that is
the dropping OF trees and the character Of the
vegetation give indications of mineral lodes be
meath the earth's surface by OF sort Of
attraction.
The divnng 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. It's
abuse led to a decree OF the lnquisition in 1701
forbiddng its employment for purposes of Jus
tice. In modern times the wooden rod has beer
much used in England and other places for find
ing water and in this connection either the roo
or the diviner is caller a "douser"
Sir w. H. Preece, celebrated English electri
clan, taking part In a discussion of the dousert
power In January 1905, repudiated the theor,
that any electric force involved and record
ed his opinion that water.hnding by a douser wal
due TO mechanical vibration. set up by the fric
ton Of moving water. acting upon sensitive ven