Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-12-17
r1E OWNING ROD.
Discussion Over Virtues of Forked
Tssix la Locating Water.


In Germany recently congress Of
| scientists soberly discussed the virtues Of
the eivlnipg rod, or iorksd twig, Ia iocat-
! ing water.
Taking t5e cue from this, New York
new spaper set out 10 gtt the views Of
scientists OF this country on the subject.
The reporter bad not gone far ~itn his
investigation before be constituted thst
the scientists Of this country refused 70
consider tbe subject seriously Nost OF
taem locked upon the query Of TBS re-
porter a. Joke nearly sll promptly pro-
! noanred II fraud.
at is all rot. /" said Proi. Daniel W. Her.
ing, professor of physics Of New York
university. II don't think any competent
scientist In this country ever hss taken the
diyiuipg-rud seriously ~ attempted 70 ex-
pertinent With il themselves ! kaos (
haveu't, and although hsve seen Il tested
several tiuiss, never hsyv seen an ST
tempt TO ioests water BY Is result in
success.
sAiuss Of the belief IN the divininero
! in this country seems 10 be Ia California,
| me TO witness their tests have come from
the Pacific coast. Jusi why I have never
been able to decide, unless 1t is that Cali
fornia 10 very prolific in all sorts OF
IDEAS"
Mining engineers have no faith in the
divining-rod either.
George c. Stone, treasurer OF the Amevi-
can Institute OF Mining Engineers, said II
never works
al have heard of mining engineers who
have tried it, although never have seen
an experiment myself said Mr. Stone,
"snd am sure no mining man believes In
tha rod
The one voice In support Of the dowscr
was from Robert s. Woodwork, professor
of psychology in Columbia university,
who thinks that the subject OF OWNING
rods lies In his department, and who Of
Tered theory in defence OF the dowssr.
II can explain the action of the divining-
rod only as being due to o-snggestion,'
said Prof. Woodwork. 81 have beard
several c@scs Of finding wster by means Of
| the rod that seemed 10 he due TO more than
mere chance. never have secn q rod In
sction, but have been told by friends OF
several successful experiments.
| ''ii is possible that some persons possess
an instinct which would suggest to them.
when on ground under which Is water,
| that such would be q good pisee for them
| to dig fer IL. Or It may be that they can
/ distinguish almost without realizing IL
signs Of water on the ground that would
be unseen BY the average pcrson. and that
| These signs would 80 operate on their mind
as to cause them to turn the stick down
ward without being conscious OF the
motive ansnstlng from themselves. At
/ least there seem TO be cases of real dEvin-
ing too veil substan,isted to appear a.
mare accidents"
But Prot. Robert Peelc, Of tbs Columbia
School OF Mines, expresses bis contempt
, Tor the dowser In describing hlm as q
charlsiAu.
There is no virtue In the rod, ~ be says;
ait IL an old superstition that came from
! central Europe two or three centuries ago.
| / have heard mining engineers discuss IL,
but in way that shows they do not be-
liese in IL. I am sure no mining man
takes IL seriously"
/ A. Prot PeeIe says, the superstition
the efficacy OF the divining-rod in finding
water or minerals dates back census les, to
/ the day when prospectors in the Hartz
| mountains in Germany felt their way
with the iorked twig over the piscss
where they supposed ore sas 10 be found.
| The rod was described by Prot. Peaie a.
| being "in the shape OF Y, whieh vas
/ taken hold of by the two ends and held
I horizontally In front OF the dswser, with
/ the tail OF the \ pointing outward.
| Holding The twig in this way the dowser
! walks over the ground where minerals or
water is being sought until, on steppiug
/ on a spot that lies more or less vertically
/ over the sought mineral or water, the tail
! OF the is supposed 10 be depressed. The
| force depressing II said to be 80 great that
sometimes the twig snaps in the hands"
AS 10 the tree from which the twig may
be cut, there Is the widest diversity Of
| opinion. Most use willow or hazel, but
Charles L4limer, an American civil engi-
neer. who wrote q monograph on the sub b.
| iect which he read In 1875 before the Civil
Engineers CUB OF Inc Northwest. In
Chicago, said he had used peach, apple,
willow, dogw cod, beech and maple twlgs,
and had heard of an old barrel hoop be-
ing used with success. MFR. Latimer be-
lieved in the rod.
In his monograph LAtimer mentions
that when chief engineer OF this Lake
Shore railroad he wanted to find water at
"a town called Coloma, where station was
being built. He said he found water with
ease with the aid OF rod. He tells also
| OF an employee on Horace Greeiey's farm
at chspp4qaa who found water with rod
for Mr.. Greeley. The farmhand's rod
twltched downward while he was walking
over a rock. Powder blew the rock apart
and forth gnshed a spring.
Prof. w. ). Barrett, the chief modern
invest igator OF the OWNING rod, made an