Page 83 - The Lost Ways

sailors drank the rum in plain form with the permission of the captain. But then the
Admiralty demanded for it to be mixed with water, producing a famous beverage called
“grog.” On extended voyages at sea, sailors needed significant quantities of drinkable
water. However, the casks they always had on board were never enough to keep the crew

hydrated. To fix the shortage, they would sweeten the water with wine or beer, thus also
increasing the gallons available on board. But the wooden casks would often develop
algae. Wine and beer spoil pretty quickly, so they came up with a solution: adding rum to
the mix. Rum didn’t just increase the water amount. It was also used to purify the water.
Sixteen ounces of rum (one pint) is enough to purify one gallon of water.

Even though the practice didn’t stick in the Royal Navy, it has proven to be a viable
alternative for disinfecting contaminated water. If the taste doesn’t quite match your

preferences, try adding two tablespoons of sugar to the blend or some lemon juice (about
30 ounces). The alcohol in the rum kills harmful pathogens and bacteria, thus making the
water you have available safe to drink without getting drunk.

However, even though alcoholic beverages were preferred by the sailors, over-indulgence
would often lead to crew impairment in discipline and performance. On top of that, it was
a lot more expensive than water. A ship sailing for three months would require about one
gallon per day per person, for 135 men. The daily consumption would fluctuate depending

on combat circumstances, desertion, disease, and air temperature.

Before there were long-term settlements, our ancestors would often set up camp or stay
in a place where there was a nearby water source.

Long Term Water Storage

In 1630 sailors would store their water in wooden casks. They soon realized that casks
leak and rot, thus leading to the accumulation of algae and bacteria. As a countermeasure,
they started painting and charring casks on the inside before using them. Sulfurization
was another practice used to kill bacteria. This involved burning sulfur inside the barrels
[5]
and generating sulfur dioxide. In spite of the heavy smell—often associated with rotten
eggs—the water was safe to drink.

Chlorinating the water is probably the simplest method to get rid of the unpleasant rotten
egg smell. However, make sure to use regular bleach only (16 drops - 1/4 tsp - of 6%
bleach per 2 gallons of water). For chlorine solution made at home with Granular calcium
hypochlorite (one heaping teaspoon -approximately ¼ ounce- to two gallons of water) at

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