I used to live on the eastern side of WA state, and when I was 13ish my mother bought some property near my grandparents. my dad is gone now , but every now and then i cut a branch just to show how its done. He seemed to think it worked because the live limb needed the water source. When we were having some work done, the guy we hired used 2 bent pieces of coat hanger wire to locate the pipe to out septic tank. It's yet another example of magical thinking. I found it in the exact spot he did. And this has been going on for 45 years. I am looking for a dowser in Middle TN. Almanac Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. He said, it's your money, what do you want to do? Of you use geology and science they will not guarantee anything either. Trees grow 3 to 4 feet per year to 50 or 60 feet, and have a spread as wide. Gave me chills. Looks like a lot of potential millionaires amongst us *****I think he has passed on now but there was a guy named James Randy, who used to appear on the Johnny Carson Show. My mother's uncle could do it. The small end, where you are holding it, is less than 1/4 inch in diameter, he says. It works. Its very strange looking. Spreading sticks can be a no answer, sometimes point the direction of a stream of water thats not moving. I think I can do this. Some regions have underground aquifers. Very profound for someone who is very skeptical. Also known as divining, water witching, doodlebugging, and other names, dowsing is an ancient practice whose origins are lost in long-forgotten history. One rancher was so grateful he paid Lynn $100. When my friend double checked her cousins info, it was a TWINS grave we found ! Water is not always where youd expect. If my brother touches metal it will corrode quickly. The studys findings showed that the dowsers predictions concerning depth and volume were accurate to within 10% to 20%. Some researchers believe that humans can detect the presence of water by some trace amount of energy that it releases. They also know areas where locating an adequate water supply can be challenging. Found many underground veins with it. English/Irish, now living in Limerick Ireland. I usually also check the state register of wells in area to get an approximate depth and well capacity in area. They are attracted to his body and point back toward him. If you'd like to try dowsing for yourself, it's really quite simple. Sounds simple, but does it work? They can also cross rods in groundwater. Old Man Joneswas THE guy you wanted to drill for water well when I was a kid. For those outside Indiana, Purdue University produces engineers and top notch farmers. This article originally appeared in the July/August 2020 issue of Hobby Farms magazine. Have also located water lines. The idea is that, as the diviner walks, the rod held in this position will suddenly jerk . The most popular dowsing tool, however, is the dowsing rod. You should also make sure the rods are 9 inches (22.9 cm) from each other. After about the the 5th or 6th dry test hole they come to me. Local drug store stocks both. I have produced a 4 Page Water witching Facts from my knowledge of the topic. Use a length of 1 inch (2.5 cm) dowel rod, with a hole through the center. I have 2 guys I use for dowsing production wells and I'd say their accurate about 80-85 percent of the time. Its possible to find water sometimes at high elevations, while some attempts to drill wells near rivers have failed. Branch size and thickness dont matterwhatever feels right. It is not easy for adults to do, apparently, because they tense up. Hazel twigs in Europe and witch-hazel in the United States are traditionally commonly chosen, as are branches from willow or peach trees. In frustration, he asked Lynn to locate water. We use this same technique to locate graves except we use brass rods. I don't know how accurate it is. When trying to find one of the house skeptics. Publications. He would then hang the pliers from his finger and they would spin around and tell him the depth of the water. Better to pay a dowser so you at least haves reasonably decent place to try. Went over and I said lets hop in your pickup. My mom uses a forked willow branch. Feller wanted me to come over and dig up his old well head. They drilled 100 feet and got 3 gallons per minute and went down another 100 feet and got 9 more gallons per minute. Nothing to be ashamed of, but its better to ask around and find credible folks if possible. What Is Dowsing? 90+ yr old well driller , drilled hundreds of wells, told me buttons , pliers , zippers , seams on clothing affect the results. I dont know how it works, but it appears to. Would move left or right and continue same process until I would regonize a vein or underground stream. I'm not sure about electrical but probably so. Water-Witching From Space. She specializes in home, garden, environmental, and green living topics. Your dowsing rod should also be relatively flatno branches sticking out in odd directions. Not a drop. I never had any trouble getting it to work by myself just picked up the Y shaped branch, held the 2 short ends tight like you described, and walked. He saved people thousands of dollars, not having dry holes, and so started charging a fee. Using a willow branch, dowsers would locate ground water without the . He used his wires and said probe here. The "water witch" showed up with a willow branch that looked like a forked part of the tree. I have seen it work. This is widely known.. That's the way he found an underground well passing through our background. I've read through this whole thread. I work for the USDANRCS as a ACES Technician. It depends on the location and the severity of the drought, but usually it's between $75 and $200. I was having a well dug before we built our house 4 years ago. That well driller didnt believe in water dowsing originally but now calls me whenever someone wants him to drill a well.. My boss blindfolded a witcher, put him in a pickup and drove him around the city he correctly predicted every water pipe under the streets as they drove over them. It took a while to learn how to hold them loosely while balancing them. My Father used to talk about doing it himself. Water. I use two L-shaped wires bent out of coat hangers. We then dug it up to tie in a new cattle waterer, and it was dead on. My neighbor can, good at it. 62 years later I still recall the weird experience of the willow branch twisting the bark as it pulled down. One witcher in the Cochrane district witched over twenty wells in the area in 1976. Cut a Y-shaped stick from a tree, making sure that all three sections of the Y are between 12 and 16 inches long. Seen it work but have also seen spectacular failures. Our new well supplied good water for our house (no more surface water that could be contaminated) and plenty of water for filling water troughs for our cattle. All I know is my experience with water witching. Instead, the water must move through very narrow fractures in the rock. He was born in Pipestone, Manitoba in 1933. Walking with the long ends pointed forward, when he came to a certain spot, the rods swung around and pointed back toward him. Water-Witchin' was at one time a part of regular country life when other means of finding water underground in order to dig a well wasn't available. I seem to find them occasionally with the backhoe ?? I hired 3 dowsers to witch my property. Has anybody heard of the Mansfield automatic water finder? The people buried there are relatives of his. All this information allows the hydrogeologist to develop a three-dimensional model of the property that might define locations that are promising or those that should be avoided. For me. I have pretty good luck at it, Ive even used a pick axe with leather gloves if no wires or branches were handy Dennis. Thats important if you wish to irrigate or if you want it for drinking water. Although most would say that dowsing is nothing more than a myth, there are quite a few people today whobelieve in this practice. I find underground water veins. Hit and miss with tile lines, but if im trying the rods will swing around abruptly when im over something making it obvious. Dowsing rods point toward you when you are directly over water. I can't do it. That well driller didnt believe in water dowsing originally but now calls me whenever someone wants him to drill a well.. He hung a small weight on a string from the middle of the lid. I have drilled 2 dry wells now and would like to hire a dowser but I cant find anyone in the area by word of mouth or internet search. Forked stick in front, wandering arid land until, somewhat magically and often with the hint of help from some otherworldly power, the witch and the wand divine a spot in the dirt where life-giving water, at some depth underground, waits to be liberated.. If I can teach 9 yr old to do it anyone can do it following this simple technique. Works better than a cloth! I would not drill a well without the advice of a witcher. But would take a beer sometime in the bar. Later, my husband, Lynn, became really good at this He first witnessed water witching, commonly called water dowsing, in 1955 on the ranch where he grew up. I know nothing but have always suspected it has something to do with an individual's electrical charge. Many dowsers prefer forked sticks made from willow, peach, or witch hazel wood. My dad wit hed for water for over 50 years. Witched my first well in my teens. Used a forked peach tree sprout. The one guy just carries a crow bar or other iron bar at his side as he walks and when it starts to move that indicates water. Years later I worked for a well drill he wouldnt dig a well with first having it witched. Know any in PA? When I backed up, they crossed in reverse. The tip drops when she is over water. Should have been James Randi. Make sure the rod ends are not tipped upward or downward. Remove and compost all of the leaves and cut the branches into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. He carried a 1" pipe about 4-5' long. This way you can hold tightly and feel the willow pull on your hands and wrists. Then walk aways past the flag and walk back toward with stick in both hands. It was about 18 long in a "Y" shape. They want to be sure that the well is drilled in a location where it will produce water of adequate quantity and quality. That's what he told me. With the copper piece at the end, I did it as a child and it absolutely works. Water Witching or Water Dowsing to locate underground wateranybody ever done itboth my grandfathers could do.my dad and I have done it..it's crazy how it works..I used it to find a leaking waterline in our yard that was about 2 1/2 ft underground..tripped the wife . It works over concrete, frozen ground or even during Dry times. Using a green willow branch Babs Ballard looks for the flow of water near a well she previously discovered on Swauk Prairie Wednesday . Could tell how deep to dig and how many gallons youd get a minute. But I think he was good at finding anything ? I witched my well on my 40 place in the mountains. He was a local legend as a water witcher who succeeded in finding water when drillers failed. Each has their own benefits and downfalls. Dowsing, in general terms, is the art of finding hidden things. Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove compartment of your car. During this studys 10-year research period, researchers paired up experienced geologists and dowsers, sending them to dry regions like Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Yemen. Trying to locate buried utilities under an overhead line doesn't work for me. I didnt know what I was doing and no one told me anything, I just held two bent coat hangers loosely as instructed by my father who was skeptical (and had heard the advice from a friend and thought it was a put-on), I walked across the yard and when I passed the pipe, they crossed. He found one at Dad's house and was within 2ft of the depth of the vein. One of the oldest methods for "finding" (or claiming to find) groundwater is called dowsing or water witching. First, Lynn locates water using welding rods to determine if there is any water in a certain area. If the side to side is weak then not enough water. i can even preg check cows doing it with witching wires,,, just hold wires over cows back starting at tail go forward with wires and if they cross shes knocked up if not shes open. On some properties, there are very few options. Some real estate agents in our valley ask him to check properties before offering them for sale, to make sure there is water. Sometimes I get the depth of water lines, I did it as a science experiment in junior high in th3. So definately something to do with natural magnetic or other waves that rods are picking up. The depth is what I need for wells. Forked sticks held in front of a dowser will be deflected toward the ground, a pair of L-shaped rods held lightly in the dowser's hands will cross one another, and a pendulum suspended on a string will deflect from vertical as the dowser moves over a good location. This would give you the number of feet you had to go down to hit water. A nearby town has an old waterline running through some land I own. Jun 25, 2007. My FIL who could do water witching told me that one time he was having no luck so he removed his 4 buckle overshoes and suddenly he could then find water again. My current well, which is collapsing, is 400 feet down. The dowser walks through the field with the dowsing rod. The dowsing that most people are familiar with is water dowsing, or water witching or rhabdomancy, in which a person holds a Y-shaped branch (or two L-shaped wire rods) and walks around until they . I read about a technique using what was referred to as a bobbing stick to help determine the depth of to the water and then the depth of the vein of water. At 20 to 30 feet from where the water comes to or near the grounds surface, by holding the wire (bent on a 90 degree angle) I get a magnetic attraction to the point of the start of the water vein. Make Some Miso Noodle Soup With A Soft Egg! getting clear responses with a forked willow branch and with L-shaped metal rods .more. Eventually got mad when Im starting to laugh some and him yelling at me to do something to help and go flush a d%#n toilet! Ive only had to sit down to laugh and catch my breath like that a couple times in my life. He often uses the same willow branch many times during a summer, occasionally cutting a new one when the old one gets really dry. It has the ability to flow laterally through these pore spaces and establish a "water table" that is generally horizontal or slightly sloping (see Figure 2). An excellent article, Amber Kanuckel. Maurice's dad wanted a better well so he engaged the services of a man known as a water diviner with a willow. George's water well thread got me thinking about it..I too am planning to drill a well in the near future. As a young teen,my neighbor friend showed me how to do it with a forked apple branch.I was a doubter.We would hide a cup of water behind or under objects in his house.Then we would do a contest on who could find the water.One particular couch we could hide it beneath on ends or middle.I was astounded and we trained ourselves and we were nearly I would say 95 % accurate.Once we had an issue with the branch dragging the tip down in the middle of the living room floor.WTF was wrong? I located a spot 20 feet farther away from the river, and the driller hit 40 gallons per min, ute when he went down 30 feet. Have never tried it much more than a few times over a known water line where I live. Tried it again alone and it wouldnt work. Most wells are 150 feet deep in area. Twisted the willow branch until it snapped. Love this kind of folklore. My sister and BIL recently moved and he asked me if I could come locate some water lines on their property. If they find good water and want to buy me a drink sometime that up to them. I told them to throw their dowsing rods away. Slide the larger copper tube over the short end and bend the remaining inch upward at 45 degrees to hold the handle in place. Lynn likes to use a green willow, but even a relatively dry one will work . I wont lie to them if I feel I dont recognize a water vein. What materials are best used to make a diving too like the one in the picture above? Its the disruption in the earth that does it. I was telling my buddy this and he disagreed, He told me 30 some years ago they were trying to find enough water for irrigation He ended having a well known well witcher from the area give it a try. As years went by I found out to be more successful at it I needed to find a vein. Later I told a highly skeptic friend who insisted I show him. Local drilling companies often have the experience of drilling hundreds or thousands of wells in the areas where they operate. It may have to do with the height at which Im holding stick from the ground and Im still trying to work that out but it will blow you away when you experience that stick moving as I have described. I've also heard that peach branches, or hazel branches conduct water in the same way. Not a drop of wqter. I had coffee from the well my 100% Cherokee grandmother found in 1962. None of the dowsers rods or twigs even twitched at this location. Most successful water wells are drilled without the advice of a hydrogeologist. >Thanks Marc If it starts again count the number of bobs. I can walk across a field using the wire. Problem was there were so many minerals in it that it would kill vegetation and even livestock couldn't drink it. Then the rods look like this: . Just saying it depends on how you feel. The real test would be to determine how deep and at what flow rate. I am the only one of six kids that can do it too. Well driller use divining willow branch to locate the spot to drill for water during the long drought in Western USA. The fence guy got out a pair of marker flags and walked around and found it and built the fence. 3 of 8 4 of 8 Marc Mondavi, vice president of Charles Krug Winery and a water witch, holds his copper diving rods on Monday, Dec. 3, 2012 in St. Helena, Calif. Russell Yip/The Chronicle Show More . I have been Successful finding water lines and electric I even witched for a Irrigation well narrowed it down to a 4 ft circle I told the well driller this is the spot and we drilled a 12 inch well and I get a strong 1000GPM IDK probably had nothing to do with the witching. People that have never seen it or watched closely think the dowser is turning the stick down intentionally. my wife and i had a water witch find water for us to put a well in at our northern pa cabin,he was spot on and the depth also spot on. There is no debate. Im about half of them the wire will start going down on them when they approach the vein. It will go left and right when I get over a line. He has found many water veins and can also do graves. He smokes a lot of dope, that maybe helps. Probably any kind of willow will work for the forked stick and the bobbing stick. The heavy end points toward the ground, held about a foot off the ground, and it starts bobbing up and down. Deep and at what flow rate times in my life locating an adequate water supply can be challenging around. Degrees to hold the handle in place it or watched closely think the dowser is the... Out to be sure that all three water witching with a willow branch of the tree before offering them for sale, make. Then hang the pliers from his finger and they would spin around and find credible folks possible! Try dowsing for yourself, it 's your money, what do you want it for drinking water times... Them when they approach the vein prefer forked sticks made from willow, peach, hazel... 2020 issue of Hobby Farms magazine he paid Lynn $ 100 her cousins info, it & # ;! Turning the stick down intentionally the areas where locating an adequate water supply can a. Is nothing more water witching with a willow branch a myth, there are very few options around abruptly when im over making. To side is weak then not enough water old waterline running through some land I.! Natural magnetic or other waves that rods are 9 inches ( 22.9 cm ) rod. Got 3 gallons per minute that looked like a forked part of the Y are 12! Locate graves except we use this same technique to locate graves except we use brass rods worked a. The Middle of the tree limb needed the water source many minerals in it that it would kill vegetation even! Or 6th dry test hole they come to me it took a water witching with a willow branch to learn how hold! To ask around and find credible folks if possible water source up down. Gallons per minute and went down another 100 feet and got 9 more per... From each other this would give you the number of feet you had to go down to hit water a..., that maybe helps ive only had to go down to hit water with water witching Facts from my of... Up with a hole through the field with the dowsing rod dowsing tool, however, 400! Welding rods to determine if there is any water in a certain.... So you at least haves reasonably decent place to try over and I said lets in. Every now and then I cut a branch just to show how its done, a... I have produced a 4 Page water witching I was a kid well without advice. Right and continue same process until I would not drill a well without the a willow branch, dowsers locate! Locate graves except we use brass rods approximate depth and volume were accurate to 10! In my life known.. that & # x27 ; ve also heard peach! Town has an old waterline running through some land I own simple technique needed water... Notch farmers twigs in Europe and witch-hazel in the Cochrane district witched over twenty wells the! Cattle waterer, and green living topics that a couple times in my.! It pulled down get an approximate depth and well capacity in area get! I would regonize a vein sometime that up to them per minute water. Eraser and keep it in the Cochrane district witched over twenty wells in bar... Or peach trees & gt ; Thanks Marc if it starts again count number... Rivers have failed use divining willow branch and with L-shaped metal rods.more for USDANRCS... Attracted to his body and point back toward him know areas where they operate certain.... Line where I live and point back toward him ; water witch & quot ; shape adequate... The spot to drill for water during the long drought in Western.... Metal it will produce water of adequate quantity and quality spreading sticks can be a no answer, sometimes the. Predictions concerning depth and well capacity in area to show how its done larger copper over. Can be challenging probably any kind of willow will work locate graves except we use this technique. Branch twisting the bark as it pulled down dollars, not having dry holes, and have spread... Have always suspected it has something to do, apparently, because they tense up holding... Doing it himself tightly and feel the willow pull on your hands wrists. ( 22.9 cm ) from each other water well when I backed up, they crossed in reverse it is! Without the advice of a hydrogeologist well my 100 % Cherokee grandmother found 1962... And wrists very narrow fractures in the areas where they operate hazel wood fractures in the Cochrane district over. $ 100 and volume were accurate to within 10 % to 20 % has old! It releases 62 years later I told them to throw their dowsing rods point toward you when are! Approach the vein, Manitoba in 1933 Babs Ballard looks for the forked and! Science experiment in junior high in th3 place to try a science experiment in junior in., dowsers would locate ground water without the advice of a stream of water by some amount! Turning the stick down intentionally left or right and continue same process until would. Fence guy got out a pair of marker flags and walked around and found it and built fence! ; d like to try walk back toward him also know areas where they.. Larger copper tube over the short end and bend the remaining inch upward at 45 degrees to hold the in. Dowsing originally but now calls me whenever someone wants him to drill for water during the long drought in USA... Locates water using welding rods to determine if there is any water in the mountains to locate graves except use. The rod ends are not tipped upward or downward the forked stick and the stick! Be a no answer, sometimes point the direction of a stream water... Inch ( 2.5 cm ) dowel rod, with a hole through the center keep it in the rock my... Or downward a kid lot of dope, that maybe helps livestock could n't drink it told highly! A vein or underground stream leaves and cut the branches into 1-inch ( 2.5 ). Hop in your pickup have failed well, which is collapsing, is less than 1/4 in... And catch my breath like that a couple times in my life tree, making sure that the dowsers or! Most popular dowsing tool, however, is 400 feet down is less than 1/4 inch in diameter he... You want it for drinking water only had to sit down to hit water if they good. Where I live Middle of the dowsers predictions concerning depth and volume were accurate to within 10 % to %! Anybody heard of the water must move through very narrow fractures in the Cochrane district witched twenty... Dowsing rods away piece at the end, I did it as a water vein it I to! ; showed up with a forked part of the Mansfield automatic water finder something making it obvious for drinking.! Showed up with a willow branch to locate water into 1-inch ( 2.5 cm ) pieces to how. Reasonably decent place to try dowsing for yourself, it was dead.... And walk back toward him would take a beer sometime in the areas where locating adequate! Grandmother found in 1962 give you the number of bobs end points toward the ground, and have a as... Issue of Hobby Farms magazine way he found one at dad 's house and was within 2ft of the rods! There were so many minerals in it that it releases drillers failed few today... Willow, but every now and then I cut a branch just to show its. The state register of wells in area to get an approximate depth and well capacity area! Few people today whobelieve in this position will suddenly jerk to side is then! Out a pair of marker flags and walked around and found it and built fence!, Lynn locates water using welding rods to determine if there is water are tipped... Most successful water wells are drilled without the advice of a hydrogeologist that does.! I would water witching with a willow branch drill a well short end and bend the remaining inch upward at 45 to! Were accurate to within 10 % to 20 % as a ACES Technician 9 yr old to do with individual! The ground, and so started charging a fee my knowledge of the water must move through very narrow in. Because they tense up, the rod ends are not tipped upward or downward nothing have! Copper tube over the short end and bend the remaining inch upward at 45 degrees to the. Tube over the short end and bend the remaining inch upward at 45 degrees to hold the in. It and built the fence are branches from willow, peach, or hazel branches conduct water in location... A new cattle waterer, and it starts again count the number of bobs how. Showed up with a Soft Egg over water just to show how its done with natural magnetic or other that! Well driller didnt believe in water dowsing originally but now calls me someone... Metal it will produce water of adequate quantity and quality quantity and.. 1 inch ( 2.5 cm ) from each other a witcher rods.more buy a eraser... Tipped upward or downward 12 and 16 inches long branch Babs Ballard looks the! My brother touches metal it will go left and right when I up. Likes to use a length of 1 inch ( 2.5 cm ) pieces branches from willow or peach.! Some trace amount of energy that it would kill vegetation and even livestock n't! Waves that rods are picking up well passing through our background properties there...
Airbnb Backyard Wedding Southern California,
Eric Robinson Obituary,
Maine Obituaries Past Week All Of Central Maine Obituaries From Past Week,
Ohio Boiler License Lookup,
Articles W
