M A R C H 1 9 4 0 ^ ^ ^ V O L U M E 30 No. 3 - Mines Magazine

120 The Mines Magazine
•for March, 1940 121
prospecting, and the second gives a
list of references to various phases of
the subject. I think these two will
cover your inquiry.
"There is a distinct line, as you no
doubt know, between divining rods or
mineral rods, and geophysical instruments
and methods. There are several
companies and individuals who
undertake geophysical surveys, such as
International Geophysics Inc. of Los
Angeles. Their advertisements appear
in the Arizona Mining Journal
or Mining and Metallurgy.
"If we can be of further assistance
in the matter, kindly let us know.
Yours very truly,"
Back came the following—and the
cat was out of the bag. The second
letter often tells the story.
"September 11, 1933
Dear Mr. Wantland:
"I appreciate very much your letter
of the 6th inst., and the two
quarterlies. The material therein
contained is exactly what I wanted.
"My interest in the subject of Applied
Geophj^sics arose about two
months ago when an acquaintance of
mine told me that he had an instrument
to locate gold and other mineral
accumulations, including oil. At first
I took little interest in his statement
but after thinking it over, decided to
investigate the instrument and put it
through a number of experimental
tests to determine its reactions. This
took me ta the known conditions existing
in Signal Hill and Dominquez oil
fields of Los Angeles County, California.
In many instances, extending
•over a period of four days, where the
instrument's reactions could be
verified by previous drilling operations,
I found an exact correlation.
"Structurally, this instrument consists
of three parts: (1) a tender twig
about 24 inches long, inch in
diameter, on one end of which is inserted
(2) a diamond shaped, wooden
cone about two inches long and one
inch in diameter, inside of which cone
is placed (3) a small capsule containing
certain liquid substance having an
affinity for the particular mineral being
sought. Various of these so-called
"cones", each containing different
liquid substances, especially made for
contacting the different minerals, enables
one to locate a particular deposit.
That is to say, at least, that
after 60 days of practical experimentation,
I actually believe the foregoing
statement is true.
"It seems that the discoverer, Mr.
X,^ can, after a few hours of experi-
^ Name fictitious for obvious reasons. •
menting, ascertain a liquid substance
which has an affinity for the hair of
an animal, after first having for use
in such work, some hair of the particular
animal. Then he makes an instrument
which will give contact with the
animal from which the hair has been
taken. Contact on a dog is obtained
fully half mile away.
"Any person can operate the instrument,
and by following the direction
of its point, one is able to locate the
ore deposit being sought, or the oil
area. When standing directly above
the deposit, the instrument takes a
definite position perpendicular to the
earth's surface. Contact with the
Signal Hill oil field was obtained a
distance of 8 miles, while on a large
mine, gold, in Northern California,
contact with the instrument for gold
was obtained at a distance of about
5 miles.
"I think the instrument is a
'specific' because in experimenting
with gold it will contact that in the
crown of one's tooth, in different kinds
of gold ore and the gold bullion, and
it will remain unaffected by the
presence of other minerals placed in
immediate neighborhood.
"Now Mr. Wantland, I don't expect
you to laugh at my credulity, if
such it is, that causes me to believe
this man might have something of
great benefit and commercial value, in
geophysical prospecting. I am not a
geophysicist, nor even a scientist, except
to know that if this instrument
is of any value whatever, it must be
systematic and exact in its reactions.
Besides wishing that your department
would investigate this thing, I want
to know how a geophysicist would express
the affinity or attractive powers
of the minerals, and whether or not
it is a scientific fact that all minerals
have a drawing power.
"Appreciating a reply, I am
Very truly yours,
John W. Blank"
To this we replied:
"September 26, 1933
Dear Mr. Blank:
"I took up the question raised in
your letter with Dr. Heiland, head
of the department. He advises that
if Mr. X will send us his instrument
or if he cares to have us put it to a
test, we will be glad to do so.
"In reply to the last paragraph of
your letter I can say that indeed I do
not laugh at your credulity. The
statement is quite correct 'that if the
instrument is of any value whatever,
it must be systematic and exact in its
reactions.' All of the instruments of
applied geophj'sics are exactly that;
however, it is a point of note that geophysical
instruments as we know them
are not in any sense mysterious nor
do they contain 'a tender twig about
24 inches long—', etc. Your description
of Mr. X's instrument is typical
of almost any 'doodle hug'.
"Geophysicists work with the
physical properties of rocks and minerals,
which properties are weli known
and subject to measurement. As for
minerals having a 'drawing power', I
do not know what you mean; that is,
of the kind involved in the device of
Mr. X. All minerals and rocks or
rock formations, however, do have
specific physical properties. If said
physical properties of a particular ore
deposit or geological condition are
sufficiently marked from similar
specific properties of the surroundings
of the deposit, such a situation may
lead to the detection of the particular
deposit or the outlining of said structure
by geophysical surveys.
"For example, the electrical conductivity
of sulfide ore bodies may
differ sufficiently from the gangue
rock to permit the location of the ore
body by geophysical survey. Or the
density of the salt core of a salt dome,
even though buried several thousand
feet, may be sufficiently different from
the density of the surrounding to permit
the location of the salt domes by
means of geophysical surveying.
"An instrument with an almost unbelievable
sensitivity, such as Mr. X's,
which can contact a dog at one-half
mile distance is beyond my ken. However,
the Etvos torsion balance which
is used in the location of salt domes
measures variations in the force of
gravity of the earth's field in units of
1 X lO-'* (0.000000001 dynes,) which
is a very sensitive instrument of an
understandable kind.
"I trust that my letter will serve
to make clear the contrast between the
instruments with which we work and
the one j^ou describe. Please do not
consider that we have any personal
feeling in this matter; we are very
glad to give you an unbiased opinion
on this subject, as is shown by Dr.
Heiiand's offer in the first paragraph
of this letter.
Yours very truly,"
The gentleman from Nevada was
apparently not convinced and got his
pen into high gear to write us this
letter:
"October 6, 1933
Dear Mr. Wantland:
"Thank you very much for your
letter of the 26th ult., and the interest
shown in helping me to judge the
device of Mr. X. I particularly like
the fair attitude of your letter, and
the offer of yourself and Dr. Heiland
to test the instrument; perhaps, a
little later it will be possible for us
to journey to Golden and meet you
personally, at which time an opportunity
could be afforded to testing the
instrument.
"About two months ago, when this
matter first came to my attention, I
failed to keep an appointment to go
into the field with it, because I concluded
that it was only another doodle
bug, to investigate which, I did not
care to take the time. However, after
thinking the matter over further, I
decided that I did not want to be in
the class of men who ridiculed
scientific inventions or discoveries, or
call the man a 'fool' who sought to
develop some new method of geophysical
prospecting. Consequently, I
went out with Mr. X, and after seeing
him locate about 16 ounces of gold
bullion, hidden from his view, doing
the same myself, and also picking out
gold bearing veins in already 'proven'
territory, I took him to the Signal
Hill and Dominguez Oil Fields of
Los Angeles County, California, and
there worked with him for three days.
A number of times in picking out
faults, it was possible for us to have
the reactions of the instrument checked
by previous drilling operations, and I
found an exact correlation. Of course,
I could not help but think seriously
of the reliability of the instrument
after these showings, yet I know that
more extensive and scholarly-like field
investigations must be made before
any credence will be placed in the
instrument, or it could become accepted
as of any value. I realize,
also, that such investigation should be
carried on by your department in
order to be of any conclusive worth,
and that my findings and report would
he about as free from merit as a layman's
legal brief.
"In the beginning, I studied various
methods and the scientific principles
involved, as written by Dr. C. A.
Heiland in the Quarterly of March,
1929, which you sent me, and also
the 'Elements of Geophysical Prospecting,'
concerning the display at
the World's Fair. From this study,
it appears that the instruments now
being used in geophysical survey work
'indirectly' aid the geophysicist in locating
valuable minerals and oil areas,
for the reason, as your letter stated,
that 'all minerals and rocks or rock
formations however, do have specific
properties of the surroundings of the
deposit or structure, such a situation
may lead to the detection of the particular
deposit or the outlining of said
structure by geophysical surveys'.
"Now then such instruments are
already perfected and, as I am led to
believe, are based upon definite, wellknown
and understood scientific
principles. They bear no relation to
the so-called 'doodle bug' family, the
various instruments and devices of
which depend upon certain psychic or
physiological elements not known or
understood, and are therefore, deemed
'unscientific'. They are not scientific,
because, presumably, not based on
known scientific facts, and not systematic
and exact in their reaction.
"Mr. Wantland, it appears to me
the instrument of Mr. X is systematic
and exact in its reactions, and my
greatest trouble is to understand the
physical principle involved. Off-hand,
and at the expense of showing a laj'-
man's ignorance, I am wondering if
the particular accumulation of oil is
not constantly exerting a definite
'field of force' about it, which force
has the power of attraction to persuade
the minute gaseous substance
that Mr. X has placed in the cone of
his instrument? The same with gold.
Of course, if this were true, one can
readily see many things that might
affect its reactions, such as the influence
of physical properties of other
mineral bodies, but so far as my investigation
has gone, it seems the instrument
for gold remains unaffected
by presence of other minerals, the
same in respect to the instrument for
oil—the gaseous substance being
different in each instance.
"Without in the least wanting to
say that there is any merit to this
instrument {although I actually think
there may be), I would not want to
take it less seriously merely because
of the simplicity of its construction
and its similarity, therefore, to 'almost
any doodle bug'. For in this respect,
the man in his crude and simple way
could see this type of construction of
the device as a means to 'employ' his
particular method. Concededly, if
Mr. X has any discovery of merit it
should he employed in a more scientific
looking instrument; for as you say, it
looks like a doodle bug.
"After all this rambling, I hardly
see the purpose of it, except that I had
to write to you anyway to express
again my appreciation for your correspondence.
I surely feel as- though
I want our department to look into
this thing, but am unable to get away
at this time. I will be very glad to
keep up correspondence with you, if
you have the time, and should I ever
he of any service to you here, please
feel free to call upon me. Any suggestions
you have, I will surely appreciate.
Yours very truly,
John W. Blank"
In answer to such a powerful
epistle we said:
"October 13, 1933
Dear Mr. Blank:
"I discussed the additional points
which you raised in your last letter
with Dr. Heiland. He says that this
idea of 'supposed affinity' has been
prevalent during the last twenty or
thirty years. It has proved successful
in extracting dollars from the
pockets of numerous credulous individuals.
The more data and angles
that you give on this instrument, the
more it looks to me like a 'doodle bug'.
"It is not so much a point that we
who consider things from a scientific
angle do not believe or have faith in
new things that causes us to feel that
this proposition is nothing but a
'doodle bug'. But it might be put
down on the basis that in our experience
things just do not work that way.
We know that there is nothing mysterious
about our geophysical instruments.
We know that they operate
on definite scientific principles which
are well known and understood, and
we can almost invariably draw a line
between scientific instruments and
'doodle bugs' on a basis of the fact that
these will perform for any person
familiar with their use. In other
words, it requires no psychic powers
or special gifts of providence for any
man of ordinary intelligence to learn
to operate a magnetometer, but, as I
have probably mentioned hefore, this
other class of devices, which for want
of a hetter word, are termed 'doodle
bugs', invariably operate successfully
only for their owner.
"I have come in contact, during the
eight years I have been connected with
geology and geophysics work, with
numerous people who had faith in
such instruments, and usually, the
owner of these devices, himself, has
faith. In other words, whether Mr.
X believes in it, is, after all, not involved.
The question in which we
are interested is, is his device based
on sound scientific principles? We
have no other way of judging these
matters.
"Upon reading your last letter, I
could not help hut believe that
possibly there was an angle to this
proposition somewhat akin to the acting
of the ouija board, automatic
writing, table tipping, etc., as well as
transference of thought. Of course,
we are here getting over into another
realm—a field in which one man's
guess is as good as another's.