Hot_Sauce
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒ&
Manure .... An interesting fact
Manure : In the 16th and 17th
centuries, everything had to be
transported by ship and it was
also before the invention of
commercial fertilizers, so large
shipments of manure were quite common.
It was shipped dry, because in
dry form it weighed a lot less
than when wet, but once water
(at sea) hit it, not only did it
become heavier, but the process
of fermentation began again, of
which a by product is methane
gas of course. As the stuff was
stored below decks in bundles
you can see what could (and
did) happen. Methane began to
build up below decks and the
first time someone came below
at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!
Several ships were destroyed in
this manner before it was
determined just what was
happening.
After that, the bundles of manure
were always stamped with the
instruction 'Stow high in transit'
on them, which meant for the
sailors to stow it high enough
off the lower decks so that any
water that came into the hold
would not touch this volatile
cargo and start the production
of methane. \
Thus evolved the term 'S.H.I.T.',
(Stow High In Transit) which
has come down through the
centuries and is in use to this
very day.
You probably did not know the
true history of this word.
Neither did I. I had always
thought it was a golf term.
Manure : In the 16th and 17th
centuries, everything had to be
transported by ship and it was
also before the invention of
commercial fertilizers, so large
shipments of manure were quite common.
It was shipped dry, because in
dry form it weighed a lot less
than when wet, but once water
(at sea) hit it, not only did it
become heavier, but the process
of fermentation began again, of
which a by product is methane
gas of course. As the stuff was
stored below decks in bundles
you can see what could (and
did) happen. Methane began to
build up below decks and the
first time someone came below
at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!
Several ships were destroyed in
this manner before it was
determined just what was
happening.
After that, the bundles of manure
were always stamped with the
instruction 'Stow high in transit'
on them, which meant for the
sailors to stow it high enough
off the lower decks so that any
water that came into the hold
would not touch this volatile
cargo and start the production
of methane. \
Thus evolved the term 'S.H.I.T.',
(Stow High In Transit) which
has come down through the
centuries and is in use to this
very day.
You probably did not know the
true history of this word.
Neither did I. I had always
thought it was a golf term.
