vouring to obtain a good supply of
water for his cattle, without success, he sent for Mr. Mullins, who came
and found a spot where he said a plentiful supply of water existed at a
depth of less than 30 feet. A well was sunk, and at 15 feet deep a
strong spring was tapped which has yielded an unfailing supply ever
since. Mr. Tompkins finding that the forked twig moved in his own hands,
tried some experiments on his own account which proved successful. He
was then asked by Messrs. Smith and Marshall, of Chippenham, agents to
the late Lord Methuen, to try and find a spring on Lord Methuen's
estate, as a well already sunk had proved useless. After a long search
the rod moved at a certain spot on a hillside where Mr. Tompkins
predicted a good supply of water would be found. Nine feet of solid rock
had to be blasted, but at 18 feet a spring was struck which rose 9 or 10
feet in the well. Messrs. Smith and Marshall subsequently wrote thus to
Mr. Tompkins:--

"CHIPPENHAM, WILTS, and
7 WHITEHALL PLACE, LONDON,
_November_ 24, 1891.

"The decision you arrived at was perfectly correct, and it is
our opinion that if we had made the well 6 feet either way to
the right or left of the spot you marked, we should have missed
the water, which is now abundant. SMITH AND MARSHALL."

This is by way of introduction to case 99 in Professor Barrett's Report.

"No. 99. Mr. Charles Maggs, who is a Wiltshire county magistrate, and
proprietor of the Melksham Dairy Company, required a large supply of
pure water for his butter factory, and, after ineffectual attempts to
obtain it, wrote to Mr. Tompkins to come over and try the divining rod.
This was done, and subsequently Mr. Maggs writes to Mr. Tompkins as
follows:--

"'MELKSHAM DAIRY COMPANY,
_November_ 10, 1890.

"'We found water at 30 feet, as stated by you at time of finding
the spring--a very strong spring. Our hopes had almost gone, and
faith was all but spent.... CHARLES MAGGS.'"

Professor Barrett wrote to Mr. Maggs, and received the following
interesting letter in reply:--

"BOWERHILL LODGE, MELKSHAM,
_March_ 8, 1897.

"Briefly the facts are:--I sunk a well to find water for my
dairy and found none. Then I wrote to Mr