Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-08-21
OWNING RODS
ARE EXPLAINED
SCHOOL OF MINES PROFESSOR
TELLS HOW water WITCH"
STICK OPERATES
Turning Downward Due To One Set OF
Forearm Muscles Being Stronger
Than Other, He Says; GeOphysical
Prospecting Now Takes Its Place.

The d~ivining rOd-that wonderful
stick that has been manipulated by
credulOus men since antiquity in the
magical finding of ore, water, oil and
what-nOt-has recently interested the
engineers professors of the Montana
School of Mines, who explain the
action of the ancient "peach-tree
stick" and who are investigating the
modern divining rod, geOphysical
prospecting, which is based on the
witchery of applied science.
DR.. Eugene S. Perry, professor Of
geology at the School of Mines, and
an expert or artesian wells, has a let
ter published in the July number Of
the Johnson National Drillers' Journal,
in which he tells how the divining rod
twists in the hands without the hold
er'S mental control. Excerpts from the
letter follow:
did you ever try to hold an empty
basket at arms length for five minutes
:. -? The basket feels heavier and
heavier until finally you are unable to
hold up the empty basket, not because
it has actually gotten heavier, but be-
cause the muscles of your arm become
tired, and being unable TO hold tension
longer, relax themselves.
The "Peach-Tree Stick"
Many types Of water witching in
volve a similar principle, for example,
the familiar 'peach-tree stick The
operator must Prasp the stick, which
generally has some unusual bend in it
firmly in both hands and hold it rigidly
~ fropt nf hin, sip n prnNprs rlncit1An
as he walks over the ground. After
variable period, the crooked stick be-
gins to change its position without con-
troll of the operator, and If the crool
is held correctly to begin with, the
change in position Of the stick vii
cause the crook to point downward
This is where water COR oil or gold
will be found
zone explanation OF this phenome-
non is as follows: The forearm Of man
that part of the arm between the wrist
and the elbow, has several sets O.
muscles, some of which make it pos.
sible to twist the hand in one way anC
some of which make it possible t.
twist the hand in the opposite direc.
ton. One of these sets of muscles i
stronger than the other.
I'm the case OF the 'peach-tree stick,
as one grips the stick in a rigid name.
with it held properly in the hands
both sets Of twisting muscles function
properly and there is no movement o
the stick. After a short period Of time
depending on how firmly the stick i
held and how strong the individual is
the muscles Of the forearm begin II
tire; however, the weaker set will tir'
much sooner than the stronger set. A
a result of this unequal firing, eacl
arm begins to twist without control O
the operator, due to the stronger Sc
of muscles eXerting their Superiorit,
over the weaker. AS a result of thi
uncontrolled arm movement, the prop
erly held 'peach-tree stick rotates il
the hands of the operator and point
downward, thereby indicating the exac
spot where water NAV be obtained b.
drilling
Good Judgment
VERY fortunately, many waite
witchers' have unusually good judg
ment as to where water should b
found, and during their walk wit,
the water witch they travel over tn
most likely spots for water Withou
the witch thew might have been abb
to locate a place for a we'll more con
venient for the farmer"
In commenting on DR.. Perry's lette.
President Francis A.. Thomson of tn
School Of Mines said, when mentio
is made of the old trick of waite
witching, we now think of moder
prospecting being done by geophysics
methods, based on the application {
physics TO geology. Remarkable dis
coveries have been made lately in thi
field, and geophysical prospecting
now being used with remarkable sue
cess in many cases, but with puzzlin
lack of success in other cases. Thes
new divining rods are instruments tha
use the principles of radio, magnetism
electrical ~conductivity, gravitations
attraction and seismology-all apple
to geology.
IN spite of the known limitation
of geophysical prospecting, it is recog
nized as an additional aid to geolog
in the finding of mineral deposits. To
day none but the uniformed spen
money in searching for ore, oil, Goa
gas or water without expert geologi
advice, much as nc one in his sense
contemplates a surgical operatio
without the aid of a skilled physician,