Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1913-12-26

know what's going on here-there are SO 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 room was afterward located.
Another day the two friends were guests at the
American Yacht club, at Milton Point, Rye, N. Y.
The 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
floor and got no water At the breakfast table
Franzius rallied his hosts bit, and then asked
why don't you get Won Uslar here to find you
some water?"
IL was agreed that the Landrat not only located
subterranean vein of water near by, but dscov-
cred that It led almost under one corner Of the
club house, where it would be easily accessible
by boring
The so-caed rod" that Won Uslar uses js 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 dlviner
grasps the two free ends, one in each hand.
which he holds palm upward The wooden rods
may be two pieces Joined a natural forked
twig. The flexible joint of the rod forms an an
gle the apex of which projects forward upward
AS the divner walking about, comes over the
the spot where a subterranean mineral deposit
OF vein of water is located, the rod turns
violently in his hands, usually away from the
body, and continues to whrl rapidly as long as
the dviner 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
by Won Uslar, is that there seems to be involved
n n nir hue he
If 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
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 dvination
The present deep interest in dvining 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 by
men who no doubt possessed the same strange
power The art was certainly practiced 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
er by the use OF the socaed "virgula divina" as
used Id taking auguries by means of casting bits
OF sticks, descriptions OF which are found In the
writings OF Tactus and Cicero.
The schlageruthe (striking rod or forked twg
or the German miners of the Harz mountains was
brought to England by miners who we're engaged
by the merchant adventurers OF Queen Eliza
beth's time to emigrate 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
has so far found a satisfactory explanation for
such gift and that II has generally been attack
ed and laughed at by science. The American In.
dians and the caravan drivers in Western Cobb
employ these rods to look for water
just as the peasants in Switzerland and SchIes-
wig-Holstein have done since time mmemorial
Prof w. f. Barrett, F. r. S. OF Dublin, who is
regarded as 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 earths surface by means of a 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 a decree OF the inquisitioh in 1901
forbidding its employment for purposes OF Jus
uce. In modern times the wooden rod has been
much 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. H. Preece, celebrated English electri-
cian taking part In discussion OF the douser's
power in January, 1905. repudiated the theory
that any electric force was involved and record
ed his opinion that waterhnding by a douser was
due to mechanical vibration, set up by the fric
tion OF moving water, acting upon sensitive VEN