Such coloring as you may desire to apply to the cloth must be done
before the waterproofing process for thereafter the fibers will not take
up a dye solution.
To make it fire proof and rot proof as well as water repellent I would
treat the cloth first to an alum and sugar of lead solution and then
paraffin well as above. Fireproof cloth is nearly as desirable as
waterproofing. Many camps have been burned by sparks falling on the tent
roof which was rendered very dry by the heat of the nearby camp fire. A
spark falling on a properly treated tent roof burns only a little round
hole at the worst.
The alum and sugar of lead solution is made thus:--4 ounces of alum and
10 ounces of lime are added to 10 quarts of water and the tent immersed
overnight. In the morning it is rinsed in lukewarm rainwater and dried
in the sun. The fibers of the cloth are filled with an insoluble
solution of lead acetate and alum and is rendered efficiently fire and
water proof.
THE EMERGENCY BIVOUAC
No man knows what he can do outdoors until he has tried it personally.
The shifty man caught homeless in the woods will make some sort of
shelter for himself out of anything at hand as slats, boards, bark,
boughs, sod, poles, dirt or whatever is available. At no stage of the
camper’s game can one display his ability to utilize woodcraft as he can
in building the emergency bivouac.
Wherever one goes matches, knife, and axe should always accompany him.
With these he is ready for preparing a windproof and as far as possible
a weather proof shelter to secure necessary warmth no matter where he
may be caught out.
A simple tree shelter is provided by selecting a small evergreen,
cutting partially through the trunk at a point 4 to 5 feet from the
ground so that in falling the butt remains attached to the stump. On the
ground side cut away all limbs and branches for this is to be your
roof. The upstanding limbs on the outside may also be partly cut and so
bent over as to further enhance the value of the roof. The browse laying
about is then collected and thatched on the ground for a bed. The ends
may be enclosed by the addition of other trees--poles, browse, etc.,
roughly thatched to serve as a wind break.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account