The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-08-07
SKUNK TREES ARE FOUND
REMARKABLE DISCOVERY AT
QUEENS HOSPITAL.
Bad Odors Come From Two Trees on
The Grounds-MysteTy of Months Is
Solved-Trees Destroyed.

A most remarkable tree has been dis
| covered in the grounds of the Queen s
hospital. From it's branches it emits
an exceedingly disagreeable odor. The
tree itself is good looking, resembling
somewhat the mango tree except that
the leaves are smaller and more num-
| erous. But it has a smell second to
none. For many months people all
around the neighborhood have been
complaining of a noxious odor and some
have threatened to move away. OF
course they knew nothing of the tree
and thought the disagreeable odors
came from insanitary localities on the
hospital premises. The Board of Health
has had its inspectores clean out every
nook and corner at the hospital, the
health officers working on the theory
held by the neighbors generally.
1t is nearly two years ago that COM
plants of bad odors first began. Nurses
and patients at the hospital noticed it,.
AT night at certain seasons, the smell
| was something terrible. Mrs. Giles, a
! neighbOr, was one of the complainants
After every measure had been taken to
| abate the nuisance, with only failure as
/ the result, this lady set about to dis
! cover the cause of the tantalizing odor
| She found a tree close to the Punch
! bowl street gate of the grounds that
1 seemed to be near the center of the area
! affected. A branch was broken off-and
| the discovery made. In a second the
! air was filled with a smell almost iden-
! teal with that from broken sewer.
The lady went at once to the hospital
and handed the twig to Superintendent
| Eckardt. The superin .endent recogniz-
| ed the odor and the trouble at once. An
| examination of the tree was made and
| its guilt fully established. The yard
men were set to work TO cut it down.
They cut it about a foot below the
: ground, buried the stump and burned
! the tree.
| All went well until a few weeks ago
! when other complaints against the hos
pital came up. Again the Board of
I Health Investigated, and again all sus-
! piciouS localities were thoroughly
cleansed. The work did no good but
matters grew worse. p. F. Ryan and
! family and other residents of Punch
bowl Immediately opposite the hospital
declared they could not stand it and
! threatened to leave. Mr.. Echardt had
| lost sight of the experience with the
| tree year ago, not dreaming that he
had another one iT the grounds. But
| last Thursday one of the gardeners
came to him and said he had found
| another stink" tree of the same kind
| as the one cut down. Mr.. Eckardt
visited the tree and found that the re-
port of the gardner was correct Work
| of cutting down and destroying the
! tree began yesterday and was finished
! this morning.
The tree is about the size of the ord-
nary mango. The bad Odor seems TO
! be confined to the limbs and tender
! branches, the hard trunk being free
from it. The plain leaves and branches
are bad enough, but when a limb or
| twig is broken the odor becomes sim
ply unbearable. In the day time the
awful tree can be smelt a hundred feet
away, and when the sun is down the
area and force of the odor are multi
piled.
Mr.. Eckardt and the Commissioner
! of Agriculture have Vainly tried to
/ Identify the tree. 1t seems not to be
known for which its natural unpopular
/ ity may be responsible. OF the matter
Mr. Eckardt says: when Robert Ster-
ling was superintendent of public works
many years ago he brought a large
number of trees from New Zealand.
| These trees were turned over to DR.. Nc
Kibbin who was then hospital physician
and were planted in the hospital
grounds. L am satisfied that these
! two trees came in that lot, as
all trees planted since that time
have been known. 1t may be that
in New Zealand the tree is a good
! one, but has changed it's habits here.
have not been able to find anyone that
could tell me what it is. 1t may have
been an outcast in New Zealand, and
! picked up accidentally by Mr. Sterling
Il believe l have another tree of the
same kind on the premises, but have
not yet located it. My reason for
/ thinking so is that there is bad odoi
on the other side of the premises. 1t is
not strong but it unmistakable. 1 am
looking for the tree and when found II
will be destroyed"
A theory advanced in regard to the
j tree is that it has the peculiar faculty
of existing upon decayed animal anC
vegetable matter taking 1t up in the
sap. The process of absorbing only
such matter,it is said. would in time
so change the tree that it would emit
disagreeable odors. This is not a scien-
tifc but a lay opinion,