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Friday Funnies (no Healey content)

To: "healeylist" <healeys@autox.team.net>
Subject: Friday Funnies (no Healey content)
From: "Bob Spidell" <bspidell@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2005 18:06:56 -0700
MANURE

In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by 
ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so 
large shipments of manure were common.

It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than 
when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became 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 term 
"Ship 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." (Ship High In Transport) 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 thought it was a golf term.


***************************************************************
Bob Spidell         San Jose, CA        bspidell@comcast.net
'67 Austin-Healey 3000             '56 Austin-Healey 100M
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