NAUSEATING ODOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22904, 11 June 1936, Page 10

NAUSEATING ODOUR

OVER WIDE AREA OF COUNTRY PROBABLY CAUSED BY TREE (From Our own Correspondent) SYDNEY, June 4. A remarkable phenomenon which seems to have extended over many miles of country around Narrabri, in western New South Wales,-, occurred last Sunday morning. Many persons on awakening were surprised to discover that the atmosphere was charged with a nauseating odour pervading everv room in their homes. Upon emerging into the open air they found the smell equally overpowering. Its penetrating nature caused householders to believe that their neighbours had uncovered all manner of decayed refuse. The smell remained tor 12 hours.

As the morning advanced and residents mentioned the matter among themselves the mystery of the source of the smell deepened. Telephonic inquiries from places as far distant as 40 miles from Narrabri revealed that the smell was experienced by country people. _ Fogs were reported in some areas, the mists remaining in low-lying places until late in the day. . A Wee Waa resident said that the odour awakened him, and as he was a member of the urban council he immediately communicated with an officer with the object of having'the source of the smell located. In conversation with the sergeant of police there he ascertained that the officer had been seeking for a dead animal as the source of the smell. A farmer living near the Nadewar Mountains stated that he was awakened by the smell, and thought there was a dead animal in the house. Descriptions of the odour were varied. The smell was likened to sulphuretted hydrogen, rotten turnips, dead animals, the presence of quantities of discharged cordite on a damp day, gunpowder, or stagnant soapy water. Residents ot many years’ standing could not recall a previous visitation. One explanation was that the heavy atmosphere, followed by 50 points of rain on Saturday night, and a northerly or north-easterly air current moving over the heavy gidgee scrub located about 4C miles from Walgett, led to the experience. The gidgee tree is a thickly-growing stunted bush,.and is said to give oil an overpowering gas following very heavy rain. The opinion expressed by one bushman was that the area received a very heavy downpour, and an air current moved easterly across the country for 100 miles. Another explanation was that the rain, falling on very dry ground, set up a chemical action generating gas. Mr R. 11. Anderson, assistant botanist, Department of Agriculture, expressed the view that the suggestion that the odour emanated from the gidgee trees was quite feasible. The tree, he said, had a reputation for giving off a strong odour after rain or in damn weather, and bushmen regarded the prevalence of the odour ns a sign of approaching rain. At times the smell was sufficietly overpowering to cause scrub-cutters to cense work. It was somewhat extraordinary that the smell should be present over such a large area, but that might be_ the result of peculiar atmospheric conditions.