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By Root 929 0

short-lived. After finding a natural stream he said was running across the plot, he stepped over to the exposed pipe to detect the running water, placing his foot upon it and glancing toward the outlet, which he could not see from where he was. His dowsing stick refused to dip, and he asserted that no water was flowing. It was my opinion that Stanziola thought we were deceiving him by not running water in the pipe, since he could not feel any vibration in the part he stood on. (Because the feed was by gravity, the pipes did not vibrate at all. This was essential, since it might have been possible to detect the path this way, even through the earth cover.) We turned up the flow until it was a torrent, and still Stanziola detected nothing. The decision was that he could not compete, and he was officially disqualified.

Borga's three attempts were far off the mark. He traced the pattern on the right as path B (dashed line), then traced it again as path A (dotted line). He then followed a course indicated by the solid line on the left in an attempt to trace path A again.The section of Borga's course between the stars was traversed by the dowser after the water in path A had ceased flowing; Borga continued, not knowing this.

However, I offered informally to test him by asking him to re-find the natural stream while blindfolded. He could not refuse such a test, and though only two of the points he chose came within three feet of the original path he'd traced, he claimed peripheral effects, and we did one last test in which he was moved around the plot at random and asked whether he was over the natural water or not. Of the four times he was in position, he called "no" twice, and of the four times he was not, he called "yes" twice. At least he was consistent.

Mr. Stanziola, using a flexible willow wand, looks for "natural" water.

Senatore came next and proved to be the most dramatic of all the performers. He used a piece of cane, broken almost in two at the center to provide a flexible joint. The device was similar to Borga's, but when Senatore operated it we stood back. It continually flew out of his hands; once it hit the cameraman, and it was replaced five times after breaking. He threw his head back and frowned mightily, stomping around the area and adjusting the pegs minutely. It had been decided that Senatore could use only one test rather than three to decide the matter, since darkness was approaching quickly, and he agreed completely to this additional and necessary rule in writing. His one attempt was hopelessly inaccurate. Need I add that he declared before the cameras that he had been 100 percent successful?

Mr. Senatore, using his twisted piece of cane, concentrates mightily—and "bombs out."

The path traced by Senatore. He was able to make only one attempt due to lack of time. He crossed the actual water path only once, and was going the wrong way.

Piero and I drove off, leaving the pipes in place in case anyone wanted to check the layout, though we believed correctly that the dowsers would accept the sworn affidavits of the engineers, the surveyors, and the lawyer as to the position of the pipes and all the other pertinent details. We had been scrupulously honest with them about the affidavits and the conditions, and we found they had reciprocated. Piero was concerned that revealing to Professor Borga that he had failed would destroy him, since he had carried on at such great length about his flawless record and imminent success. But I assured Piero that he, as well as the others, would bounce back easily. Fanatics are not easily discouraged by facts or the truth. As we drove to the restaurant where the denouement was due, the three dowsers (Fontana had left to return home, delegating Borga to represent him) were talking to one another, trying to rationalize the discrepancies in their results.

After arriving at the appointed place, along with the dowsers and all the officials, it dawned on me what a strange situation this was. Angela, Rodriguez, and I were embarrassed, not the dowsers.