For all of my Artillary minded friends...
From an old Cannoneer and Gun-Bunny.
Subject: Fw: cannon balls
>>>>
>>>> History lesson on Cannon Balls
>>>>
>>>> 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
>>>> the 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. The solution was a metal plate
>>>> with16 round indentations, called a Monkey.
>>>> But if this plate were 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 shrinks 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 a vulgar expression, didn't
>>>> you?
Dan.