SOME TESTS OF WATER DIVINING.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20612, 30 July 1932, Page 14

SOME TESTS OF WATER DIVINING.

SPECIAL ARTICLE.

About a year ago I wrote for Thk Peess an article attempting to pro-re that water divining is not a science; that "when the rod turns in the diviner s hands it is not water that agitates it, but an involuntary contraction of the muscles produced by some physical or mental fatigue or disturbance; that a fair test of the diviner's art would be tc ask him to mark a spot where his rod turned, and then try if lie could find the spot again blindfolded; aud finally, that attempts to locate minerals, to diagnose disease, or to determine the sex of eggs by divining methods bordered on the ridiculous. The article was responded to by a number of letters, printed in The Pkess or posted privately. Some were friendly to the point of view expressed in the article: as, for instance, one from perhaps the oldest and most experienced survey r in New Zealand, who said, "What a flood of amusing nonsense your article has let loose. . . . The Water Conservancy Board of Engineers in New South Wales found water diviners perfectly useless"; and one from a Canterbury well-singer, who said, "Wherever my water diviners said there was water I got dry —wherever they said there was no water I got good fMws." But the majority were from people who claimed powers as diviners, and some of them offered to give demonstrations of their art.

Conditions of the Test. Since that time every diviner-corre-spondent who disclosed his name (save one living in Auckland) lias been visited as oppoi-tunity offered. I cannot speak too highly of the courtesy with which 1 was received on these visits, and have long hesitated before writing this article, doubtful whether a kind of duty to expose an obvious fallacy should outweigh consideration for the feelings of a number of very honest and courteous gentlemen. The story of the tests will be told as briefly and as impersonally as possible. Five separate men who were confident of their powers were visited, and in all cases except one several witnesses were present. The experiment was the same; so also the result. The diviner was asked to choose a flat field where he expected to find water, and when his rod turned the spot was marked. The width and course of the supposed underground stream were then determined and the boundaries marked by pegs. The diviner was then blindfolded, or merely asked to close his eyes; was led in a circle so that he would lose his bearings, and then directed on a course that would take him over the stream previa ously marked. On every occasion he now marked the stream in some other position than that in which he had previously located it, and walked over the whole—once only a part—of the first found stream without getting any reaction.

Why the Bod Turns. The turning of the rod cannot therefore he explained by the action of underground water; for if water makes the rod turn once, it surely must do so again. At first one might make the excuse that the blindfolding, or the contact or even the presence of a hostile critic, might produce such mental strain and disturbance as to upset the diyiner's receptive capacity. This excuse would bo valid if the blindfolded person got no response at all; but when he gets a response in the wrong place, one can only conclude that the water is telling a lie, which is absurd, or that the .turning is not produced by water at all. Why then.does the rod'turn? It does turn, sometimes quite violently. I have seen it turn so strongly that where a dry branch was used it would break off in the diviner's hands, where a green branch was used it would strip off its bark, and where a steel band ■such as a straightened-clock spring was used, it would almost cut the diviners hands if he held it firmly enough. But it is not water that makes it turn. The fact is that the rod, or bent piece of spring, is held in a position of unstable equilibrium. It wants to turn, in the same way as a pyramid balanced on its point wants to fall over. Bv skill and firm grasping it is prevented from turning at least for some time. But the rod is always held with the hands in a most unnatural and strained position; namely, with the palms upwards. After a little while the hands

(SPECIALIST WBITTES lOK THX PBESS.) [Dr Dr. F. W. Hllgendohf.]

and arms get tired, involuntarily altered, WKI evitably turns. When ou«, its equilibrium the tenriim fa exerts considerable force, ajliK ing and appearance giva irresistible impression of tracted by a strong Just as a heavy pyramid baUugfffp: its point may be kept finger tip, but once it has topple can hardly be completing its fall, so the quiescent until it is off its hattopPji then it continues to turn no rartfiSgßP tightly it is grasped. water that makes it turn. surely the stick would still WsffiSp. when it is held with the r-atural position, as with facing inwards. But when -fWwP : held thus, it docs not turn The Diviner's water and a successful well is often taken as evidence : 'gglSi reality of divining art. 90 per cent. o£ wells sunk diviner's aid are successful, that there are ten chances tQrtfjSH§| the diviner's success, when ccssful, is pure ■jl|m| argument that, because a dmS&jj found water, therefore {Uvqra29flj| science, has never seemed tOMnHH} cogent one. The converse jmgjßHj however perfe Uv valid^Ji^jHM is sunk, then that is proof t]ig|j9H9 is not a science; at least sq ag9H is practised by that jJjjHKi letter to The Press that previous article on this the blindfolding test Hir prnuaaßn was stated by the a better test would be to separate diviners over tho wgMKjjHji] and if both located water it aSB spot that would be proof of t&egM&if nature of divining. Ifow was shown in North Canteiisj»|3|3 where not two, bat three, danl&Bp declared water would be think) about 60 feet. Thit marked by a heap of clay yngjflHlf the well, some tons of brienfl|H| to line it, and a well 120 fooraß[H|| quite dry. Its only use ig gtjMHH tacle for poisoned r&bbijis, v^Bn Incubate aad-gfti^HlH Beside the diviners of vpraaHEjl tv.nity arose for testing minerals and one of sex mineral diviner claimed tronHH locate all underground the comparatively tions of silver and gold, over an area where there tangle of iron water day his rod declined to sex diviner supplied lOoßSßrc* : sex he had been nnabla. himself, as he had b j an illness, but marked by a Pi ii ml 'jjlMl ||ifti|iy[U| stronger than his eggs nine were as cockerels, and 50 were hatched in two ments of an chick was removed to web of its toe was pnittfcfHejjnH| right foot if it came marked Cockerels; oa from the eggs marked biyds -were examined and later at six months results were as follows; Of the nine marked hatched, producing iotir ; three pullets. Of the cockerels 14 were chicks died before determined. This left 23||j8|9HJ stould have been cockerels and 13 eggs marked as pallet* tile, and five chicks This left 28 birds that pullets. Thew wane 15 Now it is clear that tested honestly believed in or they would not have selves so freely and tests proposed. It they had not critically exatnoljfflHH own reactions. If ev**f thinks he is a diviner wen st£gj|H| self a blindfold test, arrange it, then it is prohflW™B|B would join those who dceliiuHjjjnMßJ that water divining is *'9sfM|j|H