Questions About Dowsing For Water

[harry k]

No, he is one of those "I knows what I knows and am not about to try it" types.

Harry K

[harry k]

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The problem with that is they indicate in just one location. I can stand in one spot, sway back and forth and they cross/uncross. Take one step and they don't. Am I infulencing them? Not that I can tell and I have tried to tell if I am.

Of course you _could_ take a couple coat hangars and try it yourself but I dont' expect that to happen. You knows what you knows...

Harry K

[SteveB]

"mike" wroteWhy not put the rods on precision bearings, under glass, and roll the device at a constant speed on level rails over areas of question?

Otherwise, you're measuring human frailty, wind direction, incline, or acceleration. I don't know what people think they'd be measuring... it can't be magnetic fields, or they'd use a compass.

reply:

Something like this?

[SteveB]

I located my water main with better accuracy than the local locator service did. I have seen Randi's web page and he assumes that dowsing does certain things that even dowsers do not make claim to. Basically he has built a strwman to shoot at.

Jimmie

Again, Jimmie, there seems to be two discussions here. One about locating water aquifers and water underground. And one about locating water lines, cables, and pipes that have been buried by humans.

I (ME) am talking about the latter, and make no statements or claims to be able to find aquifers.

Steve

[Ulysses]

I would like to see a true disbeliever, such as yourself, get a couple of bronze rods and try it. Since you expect nothing to happen then nothing will happen, right? To be specific the rods I tried were perhaps five inches long in the handle area, bent at 45 degrees for an inch or so, and then bent another 45 degrees and perhaps two feet long so the overall shape is 90 degrees and the thumbs rest gently upon the 45 degree slant. I wasn't expecting anything to happen, but it did.

[Doug Miller]

The JREF's million-dollar prize is for *any* demonstration of *any* paranormal ability under controlled conditions. Finding "buried wires, pipes, and lines" by dowsing would certainly qualify.

So go demonstrate your ability, and claim the million dollars.

[Doug Miller]

If you think you can do it under controlled conditions, then do it, and become an instant millionaire.

[Doug Miller]

And I would like to see a true believer, such as yourself, attempt to demonstrate this ability under controlled conditions. If you can do it, you can win a million dollars.

[Doug Miller]

In other words... IT DOESN'T WORK. When you "succeeded" the obvious explanation is that you ALREADY KNEW where the item was.

[Ulysses]

harry k

If Randis can somehow manufacture granite fissures then I suppose it would be a legitimate test. At least that's what I imagine they are around here. I agree with you that if someone says they can dowse for water and can't find hidden water then they are not reputable. Perhaps they could use one of those sound-echo gizmos that uses a small explosion and is then able to "see" what's underground. They could then precisely locate some fissures and see if a witcher can find them. But, to be fair, I'm not certain I understand exactly what my witcher said he was finding so there may be more to it. I'm just sure he said he wasn't actually detecting water. About all he really seemed to be doing was trying to determine the best place to drill. My driller did not want to waver from the witcher's marker flags by even a foot or two. He would have been happy to if I had insisted cause, after all, I was paying for it. It would have only taken a few more feet of drilling to exceed what I paid the witcher.

Around here people will decide whether or not to buy a piece of land based upon what a witcher tells them. How else ya gonna tell? I suppose you could hire some geologists and a bunch of expensive equipment but it'll probably run into the thousands of dollars. I have not looked into the reliability of the high voltage DC probe type water finders but the word-to-mouth conclusion is that it doesn't work. I might try it if they guaranteed I'd get back the $950 they used to charge (probably has gone up) if I didn't find water. And even if they did that would add $800 to the price of the well.

[SteveB]

Next thing, you'll be telling us the world is not flat!

Steve ;-)

[harry k]

My God! You finally read and _understood_ at least a few of my posts. About damn time.

Harry K

[Steve Barker]

the irrigation guys i used to work with certainly did NOT know where all the irrigation line were/are that they find regularly with this method.

[Steve Barker]

my father in law certainly did NOT know where the 1" iron line a quarter mile long from the spring up ontop the hill was when he had that old man come out and 'witch' it for him. dug down to the line the first time.

[Ashton Crusher]

If you think you can "douse" for ANYTHING and are willing to be tested under controlled conditions you can win the prize. Randi doesn't care if you claim you can find water, or fissures, or buried Easter bunnies with your "witching" equipment. You're like all the others, scared to death to have your claims tested under controlled conditions where actual success or failure can be evaluated statistically.

[Ashton Crusher]

Nice cop out. Very typical of all those who claim they can "do it" yet turn up their nose at the million dollars. Are you still trying to get thru 5th grade?

[Ashton Crusher]

I have tried it. Maybe you saw my other post. Sure "it works" if you mean the rods will seemingly move of their own power. The problem is, they don't actually find water at any level above chance. It's just like a Ouija board... or do you believe in them too?

[Ashton Crusher]

Yeah, I'm in the 100% of the population.

[Ashton Crusher]

Well then, I think we have identified the problem.

[Ashton Crusher]

So what? You seem to think they work. It costs you basically nothing to try. So what's stopping you? Randi's had this offer out there for nearly 20 years, not just for dousing but for ANY paranormal claim. There have been several people who have tried. They all agree before the test even starts that they understand what is being tested and what will constitute success or failure and the believers all think they can do whatever it is they do, that it's a cake walk. Yet when they actually have to demonstrate for real that their results rise above the level of chance they all fail. These are not hard tests if you believe what these people claim, yet they fail consistently. And Randi isn't the one doing the testing, so to speak, he's just establishing the agreement, the results stand or fall on their own.