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| Vol. 8, No. 6 | June 2003 | |
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Lloyd G. Clements Community Center
7:00 PM (Board Meeting at 6:00 PM)
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"Dowsing in Recent Times"
by Hank Innerfeld
The American Society of Dowsers (ASD) was founded in Danville, VT in 1958. Today its membership is growing through out the United States and around the world. Many dowsing organizations far older than the ASD are active in other countries. Most are dedicated to furthering human knowledge in this field. There are active dowsing societies in Great
Britain, Kenya, Israel, New Zealand, Argentina, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, the West Indies, Switzerland, Rhodesia, South Africa, and Vietnam. Germany has two active dowsing organizations, both of which require that members serve a period of apprenticeship before they can call themselves "dowsers." In India, the principal dowsing organization, Raj Yoga, consists of divisions representing applications of dowsing in the agriculture, engineering, and medical arenas.
In France, the first dowsing society (of radiesthesistes) was organized between World Wars I and II. Since then, dowsing has become a full-time profession for many. In 1954, France's dowsers organized a national union in which annual dues (of $250/member) are paid to the French Ministry of Labor. The French dowsing society publishes a journal quarterly, like the ASD in the USA. Dowsers in France largely concentrate on finding missing persons, and even more importantly, on healing. Nearly 50% of all practicing doctors in France (we've been told) use some form of dowsing in their treatments.
Also significant is that virtually every major water pipeline and public utility both here and abroad had a "diviner" on its payroll. The Southern California Edison Company is said to employ a dowser who, over his more than 20 years with the company, claims to have found some 8,000 wells. The Puget Sound Power and Light Company in Washington State is reported to have a dowser formally on it staff, as does the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture. Noted dowser Evelyn Penrose was retained by British Columbia to locate oil and water resources. During 1931-1932 she also located 392 water wells for homesteaders.
In Russia, it is reported that 150 Soviet geologists are using dowsing in their work and have vigorously defended its value. Both Moscow State University and the University of Leningrad have established training schools in dowsing in cooperation with the Russian Army. The use of dowsing in the military extends to the Chinese Army, which for years has used dowsers as advance troops to scout the terrain and locate enemy sites as well as to determine optimum areas for advancing forces to encamp each night. The Czechoslovakian Army maintains a permanent corps of dowsers. The Canadian Army Engineers also rely on dowsing.
During World War II, the British and Australian navies discovered that with dowsing they could successfully locate German submarine "wolfpacks." Dowsing was used by the US Marine Corps in both Korea and Vietnam. Dowsers have been used to detect booby-traps and message drops as well as to locate tunnels and buried telephone lines and supplies. They proved able to locate tunnels of sappers at Khesan when the electronic detectors were inoperable. A member of the ASD proved the value of dowsing to the Marines at a USMC training center in Virginia by successfully locating all of the concealed underground installations, much to the amazement of camp officials. He did this by dowsing a map of the training center the night before the actual "run." At USMC Camp Pendleton in Southern California, young enlistees have been screened for their dowsing ability. A reported one out of five was found to be able to dowse.
Next: Article 4 of 6 - "Modern Applications" - Part 1
by Gary Hawley
We have had some strange weather lately. I know we needed the rain but I am not convinced that we needed the temperature to drop into the 30s. Good idea to keep the winter clothing handy, just in case.
We need to be very careful when working in the streams now that rain, combined with snow melt in the mountains, has caused local streams to rise. Test the depth and pressure of the stream before you attempt to cross it or set up your equipment. Put a marker at the edge of the stream so you will be able to see when the stream rises. The main thing is to work safely so you can enjoy prospecting for years to come.
Our club continues to be one of the most active groups along the Front Range and our increasing membership indicates we are doing something right. I believe it is the sincere involvement of each member and the friendliness of the collective group that makes membership in this club a worthwhile endeavor.
An example of the willingness of the members to "step up and help" was displayed at our May meeting. I announced that we needed two members to fill recent vacancies on the Board. By the end of the meeting, three members agreed to take on the responsibility of Board Member. A big thanks to Allen Mershon, Jeff Mosteller, and Joe Shubert. Your willingness to help is greatly appreciated.
Be sure to check the Events Calendar (available on the website) for a list of meeting programs, trips, activities, and panning demos that are planned for the remainder of this year. Thanks to Shawn and Pinie Conell for keeping the calendar up-to-date. If any member has an idea for a speaker or outing, contact Sue Clover (Speaker Coordinator) or Shawn and Pinie (Outings Coordinators).
Also, check this newsletter for information and directions to the Black Hawk/Central City Tour planned for Sunday, June 22. More information about the tour and a sign-up sheet at the June 18 meeting.
Until next time: May the gold in your pan be worth the effort you put into finding it.
Sunday, June 22, 2003
Gary Hawley will again lead his great tour of the Historic Blackhawk and Central City Mining District on Sunday, June 22nd.
We will see and hear the history of The Roscoe Placer, John Gregory's original gold mine (the one that started the 1859 gold rush to Colorado), the Boodle Mine, the ghost town of Nevadaville, the railroad system, several old historic cemeteries, and much more (we will NOT enter any mines).
Here's the plan:
9:00 - Meet at Lions Park in the City of Golden (see map on page 5).
9:30 - The tour leaves Golden.
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2:00 - Tour the historic cemeteries.
1:00 - Picnic lunch.
1:30 - Head for Nevadaville.
3:00 - Tour ends in Central City.
Bring a sack lunch, drinking water, camera, binoculars, etc. Be prepared for weather changes. Restroom facilities are limited. Note that food and drinks are NOT available for takeout in Black Hawk or Central City, so bring your own.
Gary would like to limit the number of vehicles on the tour so please carpool.
Larry and Shirley Weilneu went to the GPAA Gold Show in Arizona? Did you know that they placed in the competitions? Ask them about it at the next meeting!
by Ken Barker
I am happy to report that the club has had its first two panning demonstrations of the year.
The first one was held in Central City for the Visitors center on May 31st and June 1st. We set up our demonstration in front of the Visitor Center around 11:00 a.m. on Saturday and had a fair number of demonstrations during the day. We were there until 4:00 p.m. On Sunday we started at 11:00 a.m. and shut down again at 4:00 p.m. We did a number of demonstrations, however, the weather was cold and windy.
Thanks to Chuck Cown and Teena & Martin Swisher (Saturday) and Donna & Jeff Mostller (Sunday) for all the help.
The second panning demo was also in Central City for the Visitor Center on June 7th and 8th celebrating John Gregory Days. Saturday was overcast and cold and there were not many people out so we did not have a very busy day. Sunday was great! We had lots of folks drop by and try their luck (HA, HA) in the panning tubs. Doug said, "If you can't find gold in these tubs, then you should not get into prospecting." You think that maybe I put too much gold in the tubs?
Thanks to Andy Doll and Doug Taylor (Saturday) and Donna & Jeff Mosteller and Doug Taylor (Sunday) for helping.
The next outing is scheduled for the 15th of June for the Arvada Gold Strike Festival. I will get you all of the latest information in the next newsletter and our website.
Thanks again to ALL the club members who continue to support our efforts at the panning demonstrations. As any of you folks know who attend and support our demonstrations, we have a great time, especially when we see the smiles on the kids faces when that gold shows up in the bottom of the pan. What a great feeling! I will be holding a special event at the end of the season for all of your efforts.
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We can schedule
Contact Ken Barker
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| Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | |
| 2.2 gram nugget - | Randy Solomon |
| 0.4 gram nugget - | Donovan Greene |
| 0.6 gram nugget - | Lila McConnell |
| 1.7 gram nugget - | Jim Davis |
| 0.9 gram nugget - | Donna Mosteller |
| 0.8 gram nugget - | Dan Lefor |
| 1.1 gram nugget - | Mary Lorenz |
| 0.6 gram nugget - | Hank Innerfeld |
| 0.6 gram nugget - | Hank Innerfeld |
| 0.7 gram nugget - | Pat Kime |
| 0.4 gram nugget - | Paul Tharp |
| 1.0 gram nugget - | Doug Fling |
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| 0.4 gram nugget - | Terry Weatherly Donated by Randy Solomon |
by Nora Dorn
This month's question is: Who were the Night Riders in mining? (This one is closer to home!)
The correct answer at the July meeting gets you one drawing ticket.
by Doug Taylor
The participation for the May Find of the Month/Year was minimal with one club member bringing in his finds. Gary Hawley brought in a Hood Ornament from a Dodge he uncovered while detecting in Fowler Colorado (for a viewing of this treasure check out the GPR web site).
Please bring in your finds for the past two months; I'm sure all members are interested in them no matter how small they might be.
Thanks to all the members who contribute to help this club grow.
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Small House For Sale
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Members: Your Ad Could Be Here
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is an official publication of the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, a Denver-based, Colorado nonprofit organization established in 1995 for the enjoyment of gold prospecting and metal detecting. Club meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month, 7:00 PM, at the Lloyd G. Clements Community Center, 1580 Yarrow Street, Lakewood, Colorado (1 block west of Wadsworth, 1 block north of Colfax). Individual or family membership fees are $30.00 for the first year, $25.00 for each subsequent year. Non-commercial business-card-sized classified text ads for members are free of charge. Commercial display ads must be detecting, prospecting, or treasure related and are available to anyone at a modest charge: 1/8 page (approximately 2"h x 3.5"w business card size) - $6.00 per month. 1/4 page (approximately 4"h x 3.5"w) - $12.00 per month. 1/2 page (approximately 4"h x 7"w or 8.5"h x 3.5"w) - $24.00 per month. Full page (approximately 8.5"h x 7"w) - $48.00 per month. The Gold Nugget is open to and gladly accepts submission of information and articles. All article submissions must be received by the editor no later than the first Wednesday of the month for inclusion in the next month's issue. The GPR must receive any required payments for commercial ads prior to their inclusion. Include publication information on articles clipped from other publications. The Editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. Bulletin editors may print any article from this newsletter with credit given to the newsletter and the author. Contact: The Gold Nugget Editor, The Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, PO Box 621988, Littleton, CO 80162-1988. |