Loading a flat bed trailer.

[zabado]

Years ago I used to go to Liverpool docks and load my flat bed trailer with bails of wool.When I had finished it looked much like a wall, where as the bails over lapped each other,both down the length of the trailer and across it's width.This was known as "Gunshot & roll".Has anyone heard of this saying and where does the saying come from ?.

[vinginge]

According to the Glossary of Truck Terminology, Gunshot means "loaded breadthways" and Gunshot & Roll means "loaded lengthways and breadthways alternately", but where the terms originated - I've no idea.