Uncle Bernie, the dowser

Summer is a beautiful time of year. We enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities and the days are long and warm.

However, dry summers can sometimes bring about challenging times for people who live in rural areas. Sometimes the lack of rain is so severe that wells run dry.

One episode of Mayberry RFD dealt with this problem. During a period of little rainfall, Sam Jones’ well ran dry. Sam hires a geologist to locate water and drill a new well, but he could not find water. Then J.D. Judson and his mule, Jenny, appear at the farm. Judson claims to be a dowser, but Sam prefers to use modern methods of locating water. After much skepticism, Sam ultimately agrees to let Judson try, and he finds the exact spot where there is water. But Sam only decided after the geologist unsuccessfully drilled two rather expensive dry holes.

We don’t hear much about dowsers anymore. Many people probably don’t even know what a dowser is. I do because I had an uncle who was a very successful dowser for more than fifty years. His name was Bernard Holcomb, and he lived in Wayland, Mich.

Uncle Bernie, as we called him, was well known for his dowsing abilities. According to one patron, Ron Krail, Uncle Bernie was 90 percent successful in finding water. While Bernie never guaranteed his work, he would always give enough information about the water’s location to make believers out of those who heard him. And his fee was only $10. Bernie often said people called him to use his dowsing skills only after drilling several holes without success.

According to the USGS (Science for a Changing World), tools and methods vary widely. Most dowsers (also called diviners or water witches) probably still use the traditional forked stick, which may come from various trees, including the willow, peach, and witch hazel. Other dowsers may use keys, wire coat hangers, pliers, wire rods, pendulums, or various kinds of elaborate boxes and electrical instruments. Bernie always used a freshly cut willow branch, because according to him, after a week’s use, the stick became too dry to work.

Do I understand how dowsing works? Or do I believe it works at all? All I know is that my Uncle Bernie was a very successful dowser for over 50 years, and it also worked in Mayberry. So I guess that is good enough to make a believer out of me.

Ken Anderson, the “Mayberry Guru,” can be reached at themayberryguru@gmail.com and www.themayberryguru. com

BE OUR

G UEST

KEN ANDERSON “THE MAYBERRY GURU”