Historical knowledge.....
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
how 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/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 would quickly 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?)
It's 40 degrees with sunshine here in NY. I'm off to 'jog' and work on my tan. We are supposed to
get inches of rain this saturday to go with the two feet of snow already on the ground. Time to
build my ark. Let's see, two Heinekens, two Sam Adams, two blonds.....such decisions.
--
Caveat Lector "the further you go outside, the further you go inside" - B. McKibben Doug Freese
[email hidden]