Dowsing Mysterious Sites
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INVESTIGATIVE FILES JOE NICKELL Dowsing Mysterious Sites 'm not an archaeologist but, as some- appointed him. Bond was an occultist as to render the results meaningless" thing of a jack of all trades, I have who turned to a friend's automatic writ- (Feder 1996). participated in some archaeological ing for help in locating the ruins of two Some defenders of dowsing would I chapels. Soon "Gulielmus Monachus" investigations and digs, including a object to its being categorized with psy- forensic one thai unearthed hidden ("William the Monk") and other spirits, chic claims, suggesting it may have a nat- skeletal remains and a bullet (Reno- including "watchers from die other side," ural explanation. Dowsers have often vation 1981). In short, I know enough were tapping the "Universal Memory" to attributed die movement of the rods or to appreciate what a boon psychic power provide die necessary site information. pendulums to "eardi force fields," which would provide to the field—if such Bond's excavations were successful, but supposedly send out "vibrations" such as power were actually to exist. when he eventually revealed his mediods electromagnetic or other radiations. Yet in 1917 die Church was embarrassed and many dowsers work from maps, far from Psychic Archaeology he was forced out, ending the work in the actual locations, and some claim to Certainly, there arc many who believe in 1922 (Guiley 1991). receive images—including those of the "psychic archaeology"—the supposed Archaeologist, skeptic, and CSICOP past and future—like clairvoyants (Guiley "application of clairvoyance and other fellow Kenneth L. Feder—in his Frauds, 1991, 155-156). Dowsers have claimed psychic skills to die field of archaeology, Myths, and Mysteries (1996, 198)—points success in locating hidden objects, even especially in the location of dig sites and out the problem of possible prior knowl- missing persons (Nickell 1994). the identification of artifacts." It may edge in such cases. "Bond was an expert Unfortunately, dowsers actually fare involve psychometry (in which an object on medieval churches," notes Feder, "and poorly in properly controlled tests of their is used to obtain psychic "impressions"), we know that he had access to and had abilities, as James Randi (1982; 1991) has dowsing (divination with a device such examined many of the documents, maps, repeatedly demonstrated. I once tested as a rod or pendulum to locate hidden plans, and drawings of the abbey before some gold dowsers in the Yukon Territory things from a site or map), automatic initiating field research." Moreover, "Al- of Canada, site of the famed Klondike writing (in which spirits of the dead or though much of the abbey was a ruin, gold rush. Alas, they could not differenti- other sources supposedly guide the hand some walls and foundations were visible ate between gold nuggets, fool's gold, to produce messages), or some other at the surface." The locations of the chromium nuts and bolts, and empty alleged psychic mode (Guiley 1991). chapels, supposedly identified for Bond boxes—aldiough they had rationaliza- by spirits, were already generally identi- tions for their failures (Nickell 1976). What has been termed "perhaps the fied in old documents, and previous The well-established, scientific expla- first, best-known case of deliberate psy- searches had gready narrowed die areas to nation for the movement of dowsing chic archaeology" was launched in 1907 be searched. Feder observes drat Bond rods and pendulums is that it is due to by Frederick Bligh Bond in excavations at simply "searched for and found die "die unwitting translation of thoughts England's Glastonbury Abbey. Unknown chapels in die only reasonable places left into muscular action," die same force to the Church of England officials who for them to be" (Feder 1996). responsible for various phenomena like Scientific tests have not proved die automatic writing, table tipping, the Joe Nickell is CSICOP's Senior Research efficacy of psychic archaeology (Feder movement of a Ouija boards planchctte, Fellow and author of numerous inves- 1980; 1995). Such tests "either are not etc (Gardner 1957, 109). tigative books. conducted or are conducted so poorly Nevertheless, the claims continue. 1 4 May/June 2003 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Here are rwo examples—one from by a Captain John Mills to recover their gate the Mahogany Ship mystery with Australia, the other from Germany— capsized boat along with the drowned Bob Nixon and Richard Cadena. Bob that involve dowsing to supposedly captain's body. However, the searchers had been in touch with Peter D'Aloisio, locate or provide information about failed to sight the reported shipwreck. the 1988 "Australian Champion" water alleged archaeological sites. Mills again searched in 1843 and did dis- diviner (dowser) and professional water cover a wreck, which he revisited in 1847. driller. D'Aloisio had used his divining The Mahogany Ship There were sightings off and on over sub- rods to locate what he believed was a Reportedly, a boat carrying three men sequent decades, until the wreck was last chain and nine-foot anchor, possibly hunting seals capsized off southeastern seen in 1880. It has since become the sub- from the fabled wreck itself. He had Australia in 1836, drowning the captain. ject of persistent legend, as in these clos- "found" the alleged relics in December The two survivors sought safety along this ing verses of an unattributed poem, "The 1992, and from February to June 1993 now aptly named "Shipwreck Coast" Ancient Ship" (Lindsay 1996): (when he was hospitalized iWuEfC OVCf **i»hrv shin- with an angina arrack) he ping disasters occurred drilled two holes: One between 1836 and 1922). turned up bits of metal; he At that site, between pre- then sank a large-diameter sent-day Port Fairy and pipe to a depth of some Warrnambool, the two thirty-three feet, but unfor- spied a wrecked ship, tunately the shaft flooded. lodged in the hummocks W e met Peter, his (or sand dunes) (Lindsay brother Dominic, and two 1996, 2). of their friends in Warrna- Since rhen, the legend mbool and followed them of the Mahogany Ship has to the location at Levy's challenged historians and Point Coastal Reserve. Peter intrigued tourists. There is told me he had been even an eye-catching directed to the general site "Mahogany Ship Replica" Figure 1. Faux Mahogany Ship" at the McDonald's in Warrna mbool, along by local landmarks. He had, (figure 1) at the Australia's "Shi pwreck Coast"—clubbed the "McReplica" by Bob Nixon . he said, spent about McDonalds restaurant in $150,000 (Australian) in Warrnambool—dubbed the "McReplica" ... An ancient ship— motel bills and exploration costs. He and we've heard the tale a diver had gone down to the bottom of by a waggish Bob Nixon, Australian Was forced ashore by southern gales, Skeptics' Chief Investigator. Bob, Richard Nothing left—no masts or sails, the flooded pipe shaft but could not be Cadena (Victoria Skeptics vice-president), Just timbers like mahogany. certain what was there. Since 1993 the and I had motored from Melbourne pipe has been sealed with a metal cover Will it be discovered soon along the Great Ocean Road in search of That ancient ship beneath a dune? (D'Aloisio 2000). a mystery. Only the sun, the stars, the moon Peter demonstrated his dowsing tech- The enigma is that the wreck was Arc witness to this mystery. nique for us at the site. We took pho- periodically sighted and lost, presumably Some have thought the legendary tographs (see figure 2) and later discussed due to shifting sands, until it finally dis- wreck was Dutch, Spanish, or Portuguese the evidence at the Mahogany Ship appeared, leaving only controversy (Loney 1998, 20), possibly even proof Restaurant (where I had a delicious kan- behind. Worse, it was a perambulating - of a prior "secret" discover) of Australia garoo steak). Peter showed us some papers wreck. As Bob Nixon (2001) says: by the Portuguese, rather than by related to his project, but the report on It is variously described as close to Captain Cook (Mclnryre 1977). tests of the metal traces he had obtained Port Hairy, mid-way between Port There have been skeptics, however. In by drilling—provided by Monash Fairy and Warrnambool, three miles west of Warrnambool. She is said to be 1896 a local historian expressed doubt as University—determined they had proba- high in the hummocks, well above the to the existence of the wreck, stating that bly been from one of Peter's own broken high tide mark, in the water, between most older residents regarded it as mere drill bits (D'Aloisio 2000; Nixon 2001a). rwo hummocks, at the end of a gap in fable. He cited the use of old timbers, sat- Not only is the dowsing evidence the hummocks. She is identified to be urated with whale oil, that had been used therefore unsupported, but much other in various states of decay, in various orientations, bows pointing west and for flooring in a house; they were mistak- evidence renders unlikely the claim that a north. In short there is little agree- enly thought to have been salvaged from Mahogany Ship anchor has been found. ment among the reports. the Mahogany Ship but had probably For example, while one possible location The chronology of events is illuminat- come from "an old whaling punt" (Loney for the wreck (shown on a widely pub- ing. Just after the 1836 sighting by the 1998, 17-18). lished map) is appropriately near the two sealers, an expedition was mounted I was fortunate to be able to investi- beach, the D'Aloisio site is almost a SKEPTICAL INQUIRER May/June 2003 15 kilometer inland, a fact difficult to recon- mocks, and buried in the sand," its deck especially for me, and I am indebted for cile with a beached ship.