finchaser
05-16-2015, 08:55 AM
CANNON BALLS!!!
> DID YOU KNOW THIS?
>
> It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near
> the cannon on
> old war ships.
> But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was a
> major problem.
> The best storage method devised was to stack them as
> a square based
> pyramid,
> with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine,
> which rested on
> sixteen.
> Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a
> small area right
> next to the cannon.
> There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom
> layer from
> sliding/rolling from under the others..
> *Answer*
> The solution was a metal plate with 16 round dimples,
> called, for reasons
> unknown, "a Monkey".
> But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls quickly
> rusted to it.
> The solution to the rusting problem was to make the plates
> of brass -
> hence, *Brass Monkeys*.
> Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts more,
> and more rapidly than
> iron when chilled.
> Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far,
> the brass
> indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls
> would come
> right off the monkey.
> Thus, it was quite literally, cold enough to *freeze the
> balls off a brass monkey*.
> And all this time, you thought that it was just a vulgar
> expression, didn't
> you?
> DID YOU KNOW THIS?
>
> It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near
> the cannon on
> old war ships.
> But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was a
> major problem.
> The best storage method devised was to stack them as
> a square based
> pyramid,
> with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine,
> which rested on
> sixteen.
> Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a
> small area right
> next to the cannon.
> There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom
> layer from
> sliding/rolling from under the others..
> *Answer*
> The solution was a metal plate with 16 round dimples,
> called, for reasons
> unknown, "a Monkey".
> But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls quickly
> rusted to it.
> The solution to the rusting problem was to make the plates
> of brass -
> hence, *Brass Monkeys*.
> Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts more,
> and more rapidly than
> iron when chilled.
> Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far,
> the brass
> indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls
> would come
> right off the monkey.
> Thus, it was quite literally, cold enough to *freeze the
> balls off a brass monkey*.
> And all this time, you thought that it was just a vulgar
> expression, didn't
> you?