Earl, I
thought you might like to include this bit of wisdom in your
book.
Ron
THIS IS YOUR HISTORY LESSON FOR THE DAY
In
the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried
cannons. Those cannon fired round iron cannon balls. It was
necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon, but 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 thirty 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 sixteen round indentations. If this plate was made of iron,
the iron balls would quickly rust to it due to the salt water. 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 contract
so much that the cannon balls would roll off the monkey.
Thus we have the origin of "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass
monkey"
GEEZ, thought you would never ask!
Ron Dieselberg
Trainer/Auditor
CMC ELECTRONICS
CINCINNATI
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