THE DIVINING ROD.

Dunstan Times, Issue 725, 10 March 1876, Page 3

THE DIVINING ROD.

The art of divining or “dowsing,” i.e., determining the existence of lodes of metal or streams of water by means of a hazel twig, which, when carried by certain persons, bend as they pass over the spot, has been for some months the subject of a fierce controversy in the Mining Journal of England. The truth of the evidence in favor of tho practical utility of the rod is established beyond all reasonable doubt if human testimony is of any worth, even if those who doubt that divining or dowsing is of efficacy can only attempt to reason away the facts adduced or attribute the bending of tho rod at particular spots to involuntary muscular action. Thus, divining is denounced as superstition, and the arguments brought to bear against it are of a similar nature to those used against spiritualism The results, however, of divining are not so substantial as those of spiritualism, the professors of which only bring forth spectres of a more or less humorous temperament, as they evince, by useless clasping of hands, pulling of bells, playing of instruments, and other vagaries. The diviners have found lodes, and made money legitimately by the practice of their art, and if we are to believe people of high reputation, a good sensitive dowser can cross and re cross a well-defined lode blindfolded, and mark its course unerringly by means of his hazel stick. Those curious to know something of the art are referred to a French work by Count de Tristan, published some 50 years ago. The author claims for the rod the character of a delicate magnetoscope or electrometer, which, without preparation, is so sensitive to the action of hidden lodes, that it breaks off short if hindered by a gifted dowser from dipping down passing over one. The testimony to the efficacy and wonder ful properties of the rod are vouched for in numerous letters to our English contemporary, the recognised oracle of the most intelligent miners in the world. We extract a few of the guarantees for its powers. A gentleman signing himself “ Scrutator," and whose reliability and bona fidos are vouched for, and the editor, gives bis experience in dowsing. He took up a large mineral lease in Durham, and after getting an expensive and useless report from a mineral agent, took to the rod. But the tale is best told by himself. He says ;—• “ In despair I bethought me of the dowsing rod, and wished I had the power of using it; and hearing that some South Country miners were employed in a neighboring mine, I went to it and enquired diligently for a dowser. I was fortunate enough to find one, and drew him, as a fox terrier would draw a fox, for he was very reluctant to confess his gifts, or to allow them to he exhibited in public. But be yielded to my urgency ond accompanied me. We cut a supply of rods, and I thought. I would see if I could succeed myself in using one, and to my surprise and delight I found that the rod would work as energetically in my hands as in his, and so I was able to test his results. I n half-an-hour we had found three lodes, one of them the powerful lode on which he was himselt at work, and we tracked it and laid down its course for a couple of miles across my manor, the evidence of the rods being supported by the surface indications to which they led us. But we had a pickaxe with us, and we did not trust to our rods alone. We put in the pick where they gave the indications in suitable ground, and were rewarded by diguing up hematite at our first attempt where there were no surface indications at all—in fact, we had to cut away some gorse bushes to put tho pick in at the river side, for the rod had worked on a welltrodden footpath, 20 feet above the river. This was conclusive to me, independently of my own sensations, but we worked on for three days, mapped a large number of lodes, all previously unknown, and I had the satisfaction of having our map of them endorsed, in every single instance, by the geologists employed on the Government geological survey of the county shortly afterwards, for I thought it better to get scientific evidence in support of my own conclusions. Not one single fact was added by these geologists to the data I had myself supplied except some interesting observations on the character of the granitic and Silurian rocks of no practical value ; but it was a triumph for the dowsers and their rods,” Scrutator goes on to assert that in two months by their aid lie marked out 150 master lodes, and he offers to map the lode in any ‘‘mine sett” or mineral district against any minin" surveyor in the kingdom. Another correspondent, Absolom Francis, of Aberystwith, has tried dowsing for 30 years successfully, and never missed being guided by it. He lias known the rod to be successfully used in British North America, wh-re it readily indicated water. R. Symons writes to say that an after dinnerparty tested a professional dowser who by means of his rod discovered under which hat a watch had been hidden. He knows also of the discovery of a gosson lode, 5 fathoms deep, through its agency. One of the most powerful endorsements of the rod is the following “ Sir,—l wish to put an end to all this controversy about tho dowsing or divining rod# Some years back I was challenged as regards tho efficacy of I this rod. I was blindfolded at St.

Ives, in Cornwall, in the presence of two mining captains of the neighborhood, who led n\e, and I was desired to walk on the main road from St. Ives to Liskeard. It was understood that when I gave the signal of a lode, a stone was to bo placed on the spot, and tho mines open between St. Ives and Liskeard were visible on the internal lands, and would surely prove tho accuracy of my dowsing rod. I proceeded blindfolded the whole of the way, and I beg to say all admitted that I had discovered the situation of every known lode in tho district, but there were others that my rod yielded to that were never proved Tho cause of the action of this rod I cannot explain. lam quite satisfied that lam enabled through this rod to discover any lode in any district in the world, but if 1 am asked to say where the deposit of copper, tin, or lead is, I cannot do that. It is quite a matter of discovery in development. If any of your readers wish to have proof, pay my expenses, and I will not only discover lodes, but teach them how to do it as well as myself. Strange to say, the rod must be bezel.”—Jersey, September 4.