21 NOVEMBER 1931, Page 47

WATER DIVINING

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

SIR,—Perhaps Mr. M. L. Chute was wearing soles made of rubber or other insulating material when he found that his " divining-power " had gone. Before the War I had a demon- stration given me by the manager of a sheep farm in Patagonia of water-divining—the diviner following above ground the course of an underground stream. He attempted to do this the next day wearing rubber (or guttapercha) boots and found that -he could not do so, but was always able to do it with leather soles. This would seem to prove that the nature of the force was electro-magnetic.—I am, Sir, &c., .

• P.S.—I have also seen water divined by resting the elbow on the knee and gripping firmly an ordinary sharpening " steel by the handle in a position horizontal to the ground. The point will then turn towards the ground if above water.

W. F. G. S.