Show THE DIVINING ROD the idea of a dividing rod or some other instrument that may be used as a means of finding buried treasure mineral deposits and fidder underground ground oil or water i is s a superstition that continues with marvelous persistence in spite of the lack of tangible results from its employment it may be said without qualification or exception that no rod or instrument has yet been devised to find buried treasures nor any instrument that will indicate the presence of gold silver copper lead zinc or other nonmagnetic metals or their ores that are hidden from view under ground iron nickel and some minerals that contain these metals are magnetic and the dip needle or miners compass has been adapted to use in prospecting for these metals such stich an instrument ment can be purchased but special training is required to enable anyone to use it successfully A volume published by the united states geological survey department of the interior entitled mineral resources of the united states calendar year 1911 part I 1 pages to contains a discussion of methods of prospecting for iron ore by magnetic surveys and by drills although the use of the dip needle is theoretically simple much practice is required to make accurate observations with it and afler these are made they must be interpreted by the consideration of many factors so that the unskilled user is likely to be disappointed in his results the edition of the volume above mentioned available for free distribution is now out of stock at the ceolo geological it ical survey but a copy may be purchased from the superintendent of documents washington D C for 90 cents gold silver copper lead and zinc zinc are not magnetic and no instrument now in use will indicate the presence pie sence of these thee metals or their ores if they are hidden from view within the ground devices that are supposed to indicate the presence of concealed nonmagnetic ore are usually offered for sale either through ignorance or with intent to defraud some honest attempts have been made to prospect for nonmagnetic ores by measuring in different directions direction the capacity of the ground to conduct an electric current the idea being that ground containing metallic material will conduct the current better than that which contains none these at temps as well as trials with other electrical devices however have not been successful and the various forms of such apparatus could not be used by one unfamiliar with electrical work some measurements of the electric potential of metallic minerals were made several years ago in the laboratory of the united states geological survey by R C wells and the results were published in the survey s bulletin entitled electric activity in ore deposits which may be had for 10 cents from the superintendent of documents the results obtained by mr wells however do not afford an adequate oasis basis for any method of electrical prospecting r and it is still doubtful whether electrical methods of prospecting for nonmagnetic ores will ever be useful although they may have limited application in searching for certa bertam 1 in kinds of ores most deposits of the precious and semiprecious metals and their cres are discovered by those who by experience have become familiar with the kinds of rock rack in which the ores are found and who use the ordinary methods of prospecting no instrument other than the drill has been devised that will indicate the presence of water or oil tinder underground grou nd in determining eter mining the probable existence of underground supplies of these liquids geologists are guided by their knowledge 6 of the relation of beds of rocks visible atthe at the surface to beds that contain oil or water at other places in the same general region they also make use of the recognized relation of occurrences of oil or water to certain structure folds faults etc in the rocks and of surface indications such as oil seeps springs outflows of gas etc the united states geological survey has published as water supply paper a report by A J ellis entitled the divining rod a history of water witching which shows the uselessness of the instrument the report may be obtained from the director of the united states state geological survey D C |