Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Tarpaulin

TARPAULIN is a waterproof sheeting consisting of a stout canvas cloth impregnated and coated with tar. It is employed for covering hatchways and other openings into the holds of vessels, for making covers for railway and other waggons and farm ricks, and generally for protecting bulky goods and structures from weather and damp. Many waterproof compositions other than tar are used for similar purposes, the principal ingredients being solutions of india-rubber, gutta-percha, and various resinous bodies combined with pigments. See Waterproofing.