[Rhodes22-list] Betcha didn't know this!

[Mark Kaynor]

Sorry, folks...

http://www.snopes.com/language/stories/brass.htm



-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org]On Behalf Of
FredkLange at aol.com
Sent: Friday, March 05, 2004 10:49 AM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Betcha didn't know this!


So why did they call it a monkey?

Fred

In a message dated 3/4/04 9:02:22 PM Eastern Standard Time,
rjquinn at bellsouth.net writes:

> Betcha didn't know this!
>
>
> In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried
> iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was
necessary to
> keep a good supply near the cannon, but they had to find a way to prevent
> them from rolling about the deck. The best storage method devised was 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 or rolling from under the others.
>
>
> The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16 round
indentations.
> But, if this plate was made of iron, the iron balls quickly would rust to
> it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make "Brass Monkeys." Few
> landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster 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 was an improper expression,
> didn't you?) You must send this fabulous bit of historical knowledge to
> unsuspecting friends. If you don't, your floppy is going to fall off your
hard drive
> and kill your mouse.
>
> SO THERE!!!!
>
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>

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