The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-07-09
WATER AND MINERAL
BY THE OWNING ROD
SCIENTIFIC STUDY HAS BEEN
UNDERTAKEN TO ClSCOV-
Err ITS MERITS.

Few questions have aroused more
interest and discussion than has that
of whether or not there is anything
In the use of the divining rod as a
means for discovering underground
water or buried metals. Many COM
especially in pioneer days,
have made their water witches" who
with wands of hazel or beach. pros
pected for underground streams OF
water, to the entire satisfaction Of
themselves and their neighbors.
Usually these witches and their sup
never fails to locate a good stream OF
water near the surface. but skeptical
minded, practical people find 1t difti-
cult to believe that the wand has any
that similar results can be obtained
merely by digging in IA location that
Is convenient until water Of the desir-
ed quantity and quality is found.
Scientific men in the past have gen
orally regarded such means of locat-
ing water or metals underground as
utterly foolish and unreliable, hut ex-
perience In the realm of science of late
has taught them to be more cautious
in all matters concerning which they
have no positive, definite knowledge.
Instead of the negative attitude Of for
mer times they are beginning to dis
play more and more an unprecedented
interest In all classes of phenomena
because they have learned that the
realm of phenomena, directly or indi-
rectly accessible to mans senses Is
considerably greater than the scope OF
physics and chemistry as now under
stood.
Give It Intelligent Study.
SO instead OF pooh pooling the d.
vining rod as they have been wont to
do in the past they have undertaken
to give 1t a fair, intelligent study. A
scientific investigation of the question
has recently been made by a congress
of scientific men at Halle, Germany,
and similar study and system OF
public demonstrations were also made
in France. Although these studies
and experiments disclosed nothing
very positively they show DISPOSE
ton on the part of investigators to
regard the problem from scientific
and practical standpoint
E. X. Muller of Zurich some time
ago made a number Of interesting ex-
perments with the divining rod.
which, while they give no perfect SOL
ution, yet indicate a method for fur
Their investigation and at the same
time furnish substantiation for the
theory so often advanced that the d.
vining rod depends for its action on
various little understood magnetic and
electrical influences. These effects, 1t
appears, are largely dependent on the
susceptibility or lack Of susceptibility
of the operator.
Details Of Experiments.
In one experiment a brass pendu-
lum suspended by a string and held
over q copper plate connected with ar
electric cell was found either to be sci
to vibrating or to be checked in its
motion, depending on whether the
charge of the plate was positive OF
negative. 1t was noted that similar
effects could be obtained with the d.
vining rod, depending on whether thu
plate was charged negatively or posi-
lively.
Two silver coins, When paced elthe
singly or one on top of the other, wer'
found to repel a whaebone divininl
rod and set in vibration a pendulum
consisting of watch and chain, Whel
the two coins were separated by plac
ing between them two matches whicl
served as a di-electric and made
sort Of condenser of the combination
their effect on the pendulum and di
vining rod was lost. BY placing
tHlH lllIedu III CbH'dCt Will Illo ScIi'
however, the condenser effect wa
counteracted and the pendulum an
wand displayed the phenomena a
before.
The experimenters. by means Of til
!, rod, were able to ascertain the heigf
above the floor of a piece of pape
1, held at varying heights in the hant
iof a third person in an adjoining roor
when the rod was above the paper
was found to turn upward, and who
III was below, similar deflectio
downward occurred. In similar g,
periments. by focusing his mind of
particular color, the operator was alb
= to determine within half an inch II
height above the floor at which FLOW
=. ers of that particular color were he
. in the adjoining room.
g How the Rod Acted.
n IT was also found that the divinlr
s rod, by showing reflections, could
used for determining the position
|, magnetic poles The rod acted Il
+ same in every case In which the ele'
v trical conditions of the galvanic ba
). fiery used in the experiment were ider
teal. This was found true even wht
v the holder of the rod was ignorant
: the electrical condition.
Ia II G 4