Post by tonys4it on Mar 25, 2015 21:23:50 GMT
An interesting fact about Manure: In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything for export had to be transported by ship. 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. 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.
