They caulked the wagon[1] turning it into an impromptu boat, which consisted of removing the wheels and axles and then filling in the seams and cracks between t

They caulked the wagon[1] turning it into an impromptu boat, which consisted of removing the wheels and axles and then filling in the seams and cracks between the wooden boards of the wagon with soft materials and an oil like tar. [1]: https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6ouy10/june_17_1848_on_the_oregon_trail_i_have_reached/dkkijuj/ https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6ouy10/june_... >"Oit came all the old clothes we could spare," he wrote later. "Out came the tar buckets, old chisels and broken knives. They stuffed scrap cloth into creaks and crannies in the wagon and tarred over them.