WATER-DIVINING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 219, 10 June 1919, Page 6

WATER-DIVINING

EXPERIMENTS AT SEATOUN HEIGHTS WATER FOUND 250 FEET ABOVE THE SEA The Hon. G. M. Thomson, of Dunedin, has been casting doubt on tho gift of water-divining. Science, 110 eays 1 , has never found encourage faith in the water-diviner. The party which accompanied Mr. A. C. Clarke to Mr. Perston's property' on Seatoun Heights on Saturday afternoon evinced no sign of doubt. Indoed, they wero 0110 aud all convinced that "there aro more things in heaven and earth than aro dreamt of in our philosophy," and water-divining is of theso. Seatoun Heights aro for tlio most part, above tlio Miramar borough's system of water reticulation, so that residents havo to arrange their own water tupply. Last month was an anxious ono for all,- and in many instances water had to be earI ried considerable distances uphill Mr. ' Porston, a believer in water-divining, knowing Mr. A. C. Clarke, tho professional. whoso talent has been put to the test all over the and M&nawatu, and up as far as Taihape. He even found water for tho small farmers on tha land situated 400 ft. abovo tha banks of the liangitikei River, wliero hitherto no water had beon located. Mr. Perston decided to havo nis section tested. and recently Mr. Clarke was successful in making a "find." lie told Mr. Perston water .should be found at about 80ft., and was sombwhat perturbed when at that depth no water appeared. However at 50it. the bubblo camo, and now Mr. Perston lias 4ft. 7in. of water in his well, and is about to instal a pump for its easier and more convenient utilisation. Tha discovery that water could be tapped in this way somo 250 ft. abovo the level of tho eea was a matter of considerable importance to the dwellers on the Heights, who know the discomforts of drought onlj; too well. This interest culminated in an exhibition by Mr. Clarke on Saturday afternoon. when Mr. S. E. Stone (Mayor of Miramar), a party of councillors, Mr. T. 0. Fox (borough engineer), and the Town Clerk (Ifr. Jno. R. Palmer) were present. , As a rule. Mr. Clarke works only with his hands outstretched before him; indeed, he can sense the presence of subterranean water in himself without making an gesture. As a rule, he advances with outstretched hands, and as soon as water is sensed directly belotv his hands and fingers begin to twitch violently. Walking over the "lead" to Mr. Perston's spring he demonstrated hovr a few Inches of space made all the difference. Then, as he explained anyone could fake the action of the hands, he took a forked twig of geranium and advanced holding the lower end 'of the fork or prong forward by the tips of the two branches. When lie advanced over the "load" erf water, tho. fork suddenly twisted tinder his anno and inward, tiiij stalk snapping off short where the thumb and forefinger .of the right hand had hold it. He then stripped ono of the forks of an inoh of its soft greon bark without tearing it off, and holding the torn bark between his left thumb and finger, and tho other end of the, fork firmly in the same manner in his right hand, again ajjroachcd the underground "load," with the same result. The experiinent was also, tried with forked sprigs of tree lucerne and' ran, nuka, and on each occasion the forksnapped uncannily. Mr, Clarke explained that Mr. Perston's spring was one of several "leads" emanating from a "spider's web" or main source, from which several springs dorivea fheir water. Ho had located the "web," and admitted that if someono. sank a well there with a pump that in all probability tho other wells in tho vicinity would dry up. Mr. Clarke gavo each'of tho .party tho opportunity to seo if he possessed tho diviner's jiower. All tried, but thore was "nothing doing." Mr. Clarke cannot explain tho secret of his power. He knows 110 more than tlio reader the origin of his power. All he could say was that tho presenco of underground water affected himself physically. . On that account he could not live in Christchurch, and -whenever he is - "over water" he has a disturbed sensation. Divining was trying work. It affected liis nerves and heart. As he operated with outstretched hands and felt the influence of the water beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, anathere were obvious traces of fatigue. Before tho afternoon was spent the council held an impromptu meeting, and decided to cngago tlio services of Mr. Clarke to discover water for them botli on the heights nndj\flat.. A source of supply was discovered on the Wellington Gas Company's property on the Miramar flat V Mr. Clarke.