HOW SOME SHIPS MUST HAVE SUNK

      *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 had always  thought it was a golf  term.*

type of cargo ---no rush while nessicary it was a "bulk" type cargo--kept the steamers out of the trade in the early days --and yes there was alot of it shipped mainly as fertilzer and for chemicals (nitrates) it was carried often in a dried form to keep weight down---you paid for shipping by weight or cubic feet space depending on the cargo type same as today.   no the s-it ships were not the desired job of the day and a sailor had to be hard up to go on it ---but as steam ships pushed the sailing vessels out of the general cargo trade---- the seaman had no choice it was work them or starve (or even worse as far as a sailor thought-- a manual labor shore job)--the s-it trade nitch was one of the few places left for them.---the sorry end of the once proud sailing vessels---by the way sailing vessels thru out history were never known for great food and conditions but these ships were really the pits--Ivan a 27 year merchant marine sailor.