tiles


Note:  Do not rely on this information. It is very old.

Oakum

Oakum, a mass of loose tarred fibres employed in ship-building for caulking the seams between the timbers of wooden vessels or between the planks in the decks of iron and steel ships. It is usually obtained by untwisting old ropes and then separating the fibres, a task which is frequently imposed as a penalty in gaols.