Sunday, March 29, 2015

When People Ask What You Learned Today .....


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.

Thanks Dan

18 comments:

  1. And if the snuck women on board they were told to Store Low Under Transom.

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  2. Bwahahahahahaha. And Joe is on a roll too.

    I linked you to Silly Sunday as always.

    Have a fabulous day Odie. ☺

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  3. In my field SHIT can stand for Super High Intensity Training but, it really means about the same thing.

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  4. Joeh, so that's where that came from. Who'd a thunk.

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  5. LL, we could all use some companionship on those long voyages.

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  6. Haha! All the while, I thought S.H.I.T. means 'Super Hero in Training' ;o)

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  7. So Happy It's Tuesday.

    PS You never learn to swear until you learn to drive.

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  8. Abelle, you were closer than I could have ever been.

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  9. Heeheehee! And i always thought it was from a German word!

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  10. Very interesting! I alway thought the acronym S.H.I.T. was for Sam Houston Institute of Technology---thats why they call it Rice University.

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  11. I can't beat joeh's comment with a ten foot pole.

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