Brian,

Two more thoughts:

I heard recently re: Lake Pnchatrain that it is salted water and mortars 
being made of the sand therefrom. So my question is if in traditional 
work there was knowledge of or consideration of effect of salts on 
mortar. When did the materials science come along to understand salt in 
sand in mortar? Are there climatic/environmental factors that would make 
a salt in mortar in New Orleans behave in masonry different than say in 
New York.

I'm reminded of the fort in Hudson's Bay that is falling apart because 
partly after 200+ years it is melting now w/ gobal warming... having 
been sort of frozen together in the mean time.

Fresh oysters may have their own water content and will burst in a fire 
just like w/ wet rocks? I suppose they might have been shell shocked?

][<en

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