The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-08-18
THE OWNING ROD.
instruments Supposed to be Useful in
Discovering Buried Treasures.

The idea of a "divining rod or
some other instrument that may be
used as a means of finding buried
treasure, mineral deposits, and under
ground oil or water is superstition
that continues with marvellous per-
sistence in spite of the lack of tan
gible results from it's employment.
1t may be said without qualifca-
tion or exception that no rod or in
strument has yet been devised to find
buried treasures, nor any instrument
that will indicate the presence of gold,
silver, copper, lead, zinc, or other
non-magnetic metals, or their ores,
| that are hidden from view under
| ground.
Iron, nickel and some minerals that
contain these metals are magnetic,
and the dip-needle or miners COM
pass has been adapted TO use in pros
pecting for these metals. Such an in
strument can be purchased, but spe-
cial training is required to enable
anyone to use it successfully. A vol
ume published by the United States
Geological Survey, Department of the
Interior, entitled ''NIineral Resources
of the United States, pages 144 to
154, contains discussion of methods
of prospecting for iron ore by mag
netic surveys and by drills. Although
the use of the dip needle is theoret-
ically simple, much practice is re-
quired to make accurate observations
with it, after these are made they
must be interpreted by the considera-
tion of many factors, so that the un-
skilled user is likely to be disappoint-
ed in his results. The edition of the
volume above mentioned lavaila Bile
for free distribution is now out of
stock at the Geological Survey, but a
copy may be purchased from the sup
erintendent of documents, Washing
ton, D. c., for 80 cents.
Gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc
are not magnetic, and no instrument
now in use will indicate the presence
of these metals or their ores if they
are hidden from view within the
ground. Devices that are supposed
to indicate the presence of concealed
non-magnetic ore are usually offered
for sale either through ignorance or
with intent to defraud. Some honest
attempts have been made to prospect
for, non magnetic ores by measuring in
different directions the capacity of
the ground to conduct an electric cur
rent, the idea being that ground con-
/ tanning metallic material Will conduct
the current better than that which
contains none. Those attempts, as
we'll as trials with other electrical de-
vices, however, have not been success
full, and the various forms of such ap-
paratus could not be used by one un-
| familiar with electrical work.
| Some measurements of the electric
potential of metallic minerals were
made several years ago in the labora-
tory of the United States Geological
Survey by R. G. Wells, and the re-
suits were published in the Surveys
Bulletin 54a, entitled Electric activi-
ty in ore deposits, which may be had
for 10 cents from the superintendent
of documents. The results obtained
an adequate basis for any method of
electrical prospecting, and it is still
doubtful whether electrical methods
of prospecting for non-magnetic ores
will ever be useful, although they
may have limited application in
searching for certain kinds Of ore.
| Most deposits of the precious and
semi-precious metals and their ores
are discovered by those who, by ex-
perience, have become familiar with
the kinds of rock in which the ores
are found and who use the ordinary
methods of prospecting.
No instrument, other than the drill
has been devised that will indicate
the presence of water or oil under
ground In determining the proba BILE
existence of underground supplies of
these liquids geologists are guided by
their knowledge Of the relation of
beds of rock visible at the surface
| to beds that contain oil or water at
other places in the same general re-
gion. They also make use of the re-
cognized relation of occurrences of
oil or water to certain structures
(folds,. faults, etc.. in the rocks and
of surface indications, such as oil
seeps, outfows of gas, etc. The Unit
ed States Geological Survey has pub
Usher as Water-Supply Paper 416
report by A. J. Ellis, entitled, The