Cannon Balls
It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the
cannon
on old war ****ps. 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 with
16 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 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
a vulgar expression, didn't you?
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