STRAY NOTES.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 638, 3 June 1921, Page 5

STRAY NOTES.

(By "Don Quixote/’ The newspapers have devoted much space during the past few weeks to water diviners and their ways, some writers erring on the side of, perhaps, an undue credulity, and others condemning as charlatans the whole rank and file of the diviners. The Rev, Mason may, and indeed has, been at times in error as to the whereabouts of water, but lie does not claim infalibility, and his successes have been so numerous as to reduce his failure's to a negligible Quantity, find iyiC‘Si certainly he is above any suspicion of charlatanism. No, scoffers may say what they like, the water diviner is possessed of a very real power. Not properly understood ~ perhaps, in some of its 'workings, but its reality has been proved time and again throughout the eentufies. Most diviners use a forked stick of willow fop their indicator, like a-boy’s catapult with elongated fork, and it is interesting to watch the apex of the indicator being forcibly drawn down towards the ground, by some force or attraction outside the operator. So great is this force that I have known the divine! challenged to hold the fork ends passing . through his hands so firmly' that the point could not turn, down, but in no case was he able to do this. You, could watch a hud on the end of the projecting fork, and you would see no movement whatever,, proving beyond all' question that the rod was tightly grasped, but, in spite of this, the- apex would be pointing downwards, and the delicate bark on the forks, where they had been gripped by the hands of the operator, would be bruised, twisted and torn, in his endeavour to prevent it turning. I remember some years ago meeting a professional diviner, who, by-the-bye, located successfully several wells in the Kiwitea district, who used no indicator of any kind. I asked why this was, and he explained that it was quite unnecessary, as he was so susceptible to the pull of the underground water that he could actually feel it, and not only that, but an indicator was a. source of inconvenience ,to him, and thereupon lie cut a fairly stout fork from an apple tree close to where he had its ted water was to be found, holding' this in one hand by one ox the forked ends, he moved over to where lie considered the position of ehe underground spring was. Be then touched the other fork, with the thumb and fore finger of the other hand, and instantly the stout apple fork snapped just above where it was tightly gripped. This was done in front of witnesses, sceptical and otherwise^

Recently I came across the same man in Seatoun, where he had found water about thirty feet down, on the seaward side of a ridge, a more unlikely place for water it would be impossible to imagine, but the fact remains he divined the water there, and on digging to the depth he stated (about fifteen feet) there the water was, and a very good supply, too.

Personally,' I am-of opinion that the longer we live, the less we know, f am reluctant to state, such things can’t be, life is full of surprises. Tins I know, ‘‘.There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy."