Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-06-19
TREE THAT ST|NGs
veritable Terror Of the Australian
"'BuSh."
Causes Pain That Almost Drives Men
to Madnsss--AnothsrA Plant That
10 to Some Extent an ARti.
dots For Il.

" 70 oome ExSenS IN A1I'
dots For Il.
Do you remember-writes q friend
Of The Companion--back in your boy
hood days on the farm, when you wers
routed out Of bed ON . chilly autumn
morning, and sent to fetch the cows
for milking? As you drove the herd
up the lane, In no very sweet temper.
one old "bossy" persisted in tagging
behind. You stopped for a stick to
hurl at her. and as you did so, your
hand brushed against small weed
that grew close to the fence. You
had touched a nettle, and for tho rest
OF the day there was very "touchyn
boy about the farm. II that little net
tie had grown to height Of eight or
ten feet and the venom In its sting
had increased proportionately, you
would have very fair example Of the
Australian "stinging tree" aHsJ.
In that far.away land-where all ma
ture seems to take on an exaggerated
form-this poisonous weed Is most
prolific. In the tropical bush" OF
northern Queensland, especially, 1t at
tains great height. and sometimes
it forms veritable thicket. Its sting
causes the most excruciating pain, and
from root to tip it is covered with the
minute needles that enter the flesh up
on the slightest contact. g %
Foytup a. o1v poturo huo pr0utHoN m
antidote in the form OF plant called
the congee bar. This plant is usually
found in the immediate vicinity of the
singing tree, and when you rub 1t
brtskly over the parts affected. 1t ex-
udes Juice that allays the pain to q
considerable extent. The native blacks
are familiar with both plants, and
when suffering from contact with one,
readily find the other But the new
chum"-or recent arrival In the coun.
try-must endure almost unbearable
agony until experience teaches him
the means Of relief.
The writer first met the singing
tree while prospecting along the John
stone river, in company with two 9TH
er new chums." During the MONDAY
rest took my gun, and wandered into
the bush" in search of wild turkeys.
l started one, which promptly scurried
into thicket of singing tree. Intent
on getting a shot. l plunged In after
the bird, and was we'll into the middle
of the torture chamber" before real
lied its nature. forgot the turkey In
the extreme torment Of the moment.
BY the time reached camp, was lit
orally on fire, and in my ignorance, !
applied water to my hands and face.
That 30 aggravated the pain that for
some hours my companions feared
that would go mad We applied what
crude remedies our outfit supplied. but
it was the following day before ! be.
gan to experience any relief, and for
several days / suffered considerably.
Animals also suffer from contact
with this pestilent plant l recall one
case in particular. A teamster was
conveying a piece Of machinery from
the coast, up the mountain trail to one
of the mines. He used two-wheeled
| dray, drawn by q team OF heavy
horses. He covered half the distance
on the first day, and camped for the
night in an abandoned hut, near which
was clearing of perhaps an acre. He
turned the horses into this clearing to
Craze.
The hut was built of heavy logs; one
end was entirely occupied by an I'm
mense brick oven, used in the rush"
days to bake bread for the miners. The
building stood at the junction of two
trails, and was sort of stopping.over
place for belated "diggers.' Several
were there on this particular night,
and in the midst Of their yarn.spinning
they heard q horse tear madly past the
hut with the most bloodcurdling
squeals. All hands rushed out, but
nothing was to be seen in the dark.
ness v",
AS they re-enteed the hut, ope old
digger suggested to the teamster that
one of his horses might have bean in
fected with the stinging tree, and gone
mad with the pam. The teamster
secuted the idea, and was asserting
his belief that both horses were still
feeding in the clearing, when the ant.
NAL was again heard, coming hack
down the trail. The men rushed from
the hut into the inky darkness, deter
mined to intercept the horse. E.
The narrow shaft Of light from the
open door only served to accentuate
the blackness on either side Of 1t, 10
that the men could not see one an.
other as they waited, poised, to spring
! at the onrushing animal. Perhaps the
darkness was to blame; but with q
rush OF hoofs and the most horrible
cries, the agonized creature passed
them all, and with one great hound,
dashed through the open doorway Of
the hut.
For one instant there was the sound
Of hoofs rafting across the floor; then
came the crash Of heavy body falling
to the floor. The men rushed in, 70
find the teamster's big gray struggling
in his death agony. He had run head
on against the brick oven at the end
of the hut, and his neck was broken.
The singing tree was to blame for It
al. s.s', .,.
In the Studio.
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