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Historical Information You Need to Know About Shipping Manure
In
the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship. 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 that the sailors should 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.", 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 always thought it was a golf term.
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