THE DIVINING ROD.

Shannon News, 7 February 1922, Page 1

THE DIVINING ROD.

! NO SUCH DEPENDABLE THING. i ' Tlie United States Geological Survey has issued a bulletin on the subject of the divining rod, and it says: •, “There is no such thing as a divinj ing rod or cadueean wand or forked j willow branch that can be depended upon as a means ol finding buried i treasure, mineral deposits, and unj derground oil or water.” In shatter ■j ing a superstition that continues with marvellous persistence, the bulletin goes on to say “that iron, nickel, and somp minerals that contain these metals are magnetic, and the dip-needle ( or miner’s compass has been adapted |to use in prospecting for these me- | Such an instrument can be purchased, but special training is re- ) quired to enable anyone to use it sucI cessfully. But gold, silver, copper, I lead and zinc are not magnetic, and no instrument now in use will indij cate the presence of these metals or their ores if they are hidden from view within the ground. Devices that, are supposed to indicate the presence of concealed, non-magnetic ore are usually offered, for sale, either through' ignorance or with intent to defratid. No instrument other than the drill has been devised that will indicate the presence of water or oil underground. In determining the probable existence of underground supplies .of these liquids, geologists are guided by their knowledge of the relation of beds of rocks visible at the' surface to beds that contain oil or water at other places in the same general region. They also make use of the rej cognised relation of occurrences of | oil or water to certain structure in the rocks and surface indications.”