THE DIVINING ROD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23108, 6 February 1937, Page 7

THE DIVINING ROD

TO THE EDITOR

Sir, —Correspondents periodically express their opinions regarding divination, and once again this oft-debated subject has claimed space in your columns. With your permission, I shall lay a few facts before your readers which will throw a little light on the subject. I do not propose to go into detail, but rather to confine my remarks to a summary covering nearly 30 years of well-sinking and mineral prospecting records—both with and without the diviner's assistance. Where no diviner was thought of, and practical experience was honoured, the failure to obtain the estimated quantity of water within the specified depth amounted to a fraction under 3 per cent., compared with 70 per cent, failures recorded against the diviner. Clearly the diviner is a deterrent rather than an advantage, as dozens of my clients have found out to their sorrow. I attribute their failures to a lack of knowledge of underground strata and of the levels where changes are likely to occur, the consequence being that they make all sorts of ridiculous statements which would require a small fortune to prove right or wrong. It is perfectly true that many good wells have been sunk on spots selected by diviners, and it is equally true that many dozens—yea, hundreds—of excellent wells have been obtained on spots condemned by diviners. The mere fact that a satisfactory well has been obtained on a spot selected by a diviner does not, by any reasonable stretch of the imagination; entitle him to any confidence because in 99 cases in 100 an equal result would have been obtained had the well been sunk adjacent to where the diviner predicted there would be "no water." In such cases as those in which the diviner is acclaimed as successful, it is extremely unlikely that the landlord, having seicured the water that was required, would be foolish enough to incur addi-tional-expense to prove him wrong, and he departs with a pat on the back. , My records show, however, that scores of wells have been sunk on spots condemned by diviners, and that they yielded excellent results, while "duds" galore have been recorded on locations where copious supplies were divined. Regarding the divination of minerals. I have never yet heard of a diviner locating coal except on an already proved field, and the same applies to gold. Many tests have been carried out after divination of minerals and 100 per cent, of failures have been recorded. So the diviner fails lamentably under test. —I am, etc., J. M. Stewart. Caversham, Feb. 4.