THE WATER-FINDER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2884, 30 June 1909, Page 12

THE WATER-FINDER.

REV. H. MASON'S UNIQUE POWERS. ,- (Fkoji Ovs, Own Cobrksposident.) .AUCKLAND, June 23. , An interesting account of the unique ' powers of water -finding possessed by the 5 Rev. H. Mason, of Otahuhu, is given in ' the HeraJd, a representative of which ' paper visited the "rev. gentleman, and rel cefved .>cular proof of how he works. > " I >do not cL-.im any supernatural s powers," said Mr Mason, "simply that there is something in my constitution that s renders me ' a non-conductoi" of the force ■ that "radiates fjjm* subterranean water. i Experiments have proved that I am not > a conductor of this force. There are, as i you know, emanations from radium. I ; - deduce, therefore, that there, are emana- • tions f ''om other metals, and, if so, then l why not from water? It is .an accepted . fact in tHS scientific world that there is an internal friction in* water which gelferates a force that radiates upwards throughall obstructions to the .surface. "When I enter this sphere of radiation the „ force' enters. my body, and, not, being able to 1 obtain egress, agitates it.- I can tell by the violence of the agitation whether there is a good flow or not. I first feel- a neuralgic pain, and then my arms begin trO- shake." The prefsman was then favoured with a demonstration, .which he -thus describes : Mr Mason started to walk along his garden path, throwing out .his arms to either side, his hand pointing downwards at an angle from his body. Presently he stopped. ""I feel 'the pain now," he said. "That means that lam entering the sphere. Now watch." He-t ook a step forward, slowjy.- 'His arms began to shake as though smitten with a palsy; Another step iorward> and they shook * more violently to and fro. A third step, and the agitation of the arms became terrific, .incF thpy were thrown to his hips as though a fierce electric shock had been imparted to them. Even the muscles of Mr Mason's face and neck quivered, and as he sprang forward out of the area o£ radiation he was panting as though he had just breasted the tape- after a 50 yards sprint. He then walked across the same place on the path,, his arms extended. Nothing abnormal happened this time, whereat the pressnian asked if the agitation only took place when he extended his arms as described. " For- . HinatfJy, yss, ' replied Mr Ma-son, who has a keen sense of humour, " otherwise I should never be able to go out at all." Breaking a longish twig from, a tree, he then demonstrated his power with the rod. Palms upward, he grasped the ai'ched twig tightly, and passed over the same saot. Immediately the twig bent outwards and down, rising again as he passed out of the sphere of influence. " Uncanny, i&'nt it?" he remarked. "Now watch again." With that he walked a few paces forward on the path, still grasp- i ing the twig as before. Suddenly the j same thing happened, the twig bending | and rising again as he walked. " That shows the unreliability of the rod for finding water/ remarked the demonstrator. " There is none /beneath," indicating the second place. He put aside the twig, and extended his arms. There was no agitation. The rod had bent over at both places, but there was only water below the first. In. a further experiment, Mr Mason again took the rod, and with its aid followed the winding course of the stream located at the first spot across his garden. As regards the rod bending ut the second spot, there being no water there, the rev. gentleman could not explain the phenomenon. Possibly it might indicate precious metals. This theory is interesting, and might be well worth "fol- { lowing up. It .may be, for instance, that Mr Mason's powers with the rod would prove invaluable in tracing the course of gold reefs. Opposite to the vicarage gate the water-diviner pointed out a series of I volcanic cones, at the base of one of which Avas a pump, bringing water up at the first place he ever located. In threedifferent situations beneath these cones, , he said, he had located large reservoirs of j water, wit.'i many streams radiating from

them. This he looked upon as the proper water supply for the Otahuhu Road Board. A more important statement followed; especially in view of the Benmera Road Board's recent decision to enlist his help. "There are," Mr-Mason declared, " always huge reservoirs under these volcanic cones. Mount Wellington has a- potential water supply beneath it in enormous reservoirs, that should be availed of for greater Auck- . land. •' 1 located water for the DomainBo«trd there, and my experiments led into the crater .there. The agitation I got was so severe that I could only stay in it a moment. If a boro.were sunk right in the centre of the crater, and the latter concreted to form a , non-porons ' basin', T am certain we could have a huge etorags reservoir fed from below by hundreds of Gtx-earas, the source of which -would be tapped, hy the central bore." Mr Mason , -added, that he found th© calls upon his peculiar powers so embarrassing v that h* was anxious to., find someone to share' the .-burden with him. ' He had . tested . huu»dreds. His youngest boy (11 years old) had the power stronger even than himself. The Rev. ,C. W. Scott Moneriefj. " wai'den of St. John's .College, also pos- . seased- the power, but with the rod only. He -thought he had discovered the power also in a Mangere , lady. His theory was,' however, that many others than ' himself ■ must have it without knowing it.