THE GOLDEN TWIG

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 85, 4 January 1919, Page 7

THE GOLDEN TWIG

■ ■ —*r • • a'diyinee of. precious metal. : The 'old diviniriff-rod argument has come up again sharply in a new form in the Tvest (writes the Bathurst correspondent of the Sydney "Sun"). The waterfinding qualities of-the twig have been superseded by its possibilities as a gold prospeotor, and a Ist of attention, both active and passive, is being, devoted tn the subject. The question has ; come to a head , in the claim of Mr. A. M'Glashan, of Baltimore, that he has {raced a lead of aUuvial gold for over, 70 miles from Balliniore' to Geurie, the elusive mineral running Toughly along .the Mitchell's Creek and Tolbragar Kiver. \ :, The wort of tracing the inine has occupied, 6ome months. 'Mr. M'Glashan is' not susceptible to any of the sneers of the sceptics, and says he'll give any rear.; sonable demonstration. The other day: he attempted to argue away the doubts of Mr. Acourt, a neighbour, who remained .adamant. ■ To clinch the business Mr.. M'Glaehan, then challenged his dubious friend to hutea quantity of gold in any place he desired nrid then lend him blindfolded with his rod over the. route. This was done, . and when Mr. M'Glashan came to the spot • where a nugget had been buried the rod started to prance playfully and located the plant to an inch.. This was good enough for Mr. Acourt, nnd ho said so, and is preiwred to verify the accuracy of the test ' at any time. Mr. M'Glashan explains that the possibilities of his yellow-box twig revealed themselves to him accidentally. It came out in this way: One day he located a spot whore he said water would be found—and it -'afterwards was—and dropped the fork into a pool of water. On pulling it out he found that something had/ gone "wrong with the works. Anyway, it wouldn't act. He deducted that if the water powers of the rod could be neutralised by dipping the thing in water than it might not respond to gold if it happened to be tipiied with the precipua stuff. Which was speedijy' proved. When lie removed tlio gold tip and placed the twig over a quantity of alluvial stuff the .rod started to twirl fantastically. . To- settle any remaining doubt as to the genuinenees of the phenomena Mr. M'Glashan is prepared to challenge any sceptic, preferably a Government ideologist, that; ho can locate either water or gold in this unorthodox way. t'uit li" pun hit on the approximate depth, and Mint he can give a correct tip within n foot or so nf the proper place at which to sink n shaft. As to the big lead 1 nn which ho has been pncoßed recently lie declares that, the width varies from 100 tn 300 foot, am' reckons' on the richest stuff occurring at !W) feet. He has enough coiifidouco in tho twig to put down a shaft Sflft.. <\"d lias enmo aprons iron pvrites, Rivi"? sdwt. if gold -aivl 7oz. ot silver tn the Inn. But aa sinking costs about 15s. a foot in that country lie has heroine sliimiinl for capital. Hollas anulipil for prospecting assistance, but officialdom will not entertain his theories, so that ho is in j viting- speculators to give the thing a trial, and is meeting with ready support.