Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 22:41:35 +0000
Reply-To: Mike Finkbiner <mike_l_f@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Finkbiner <mike_l_f@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: friday humor (NVC whatsoever) (f)
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Chris -
Funny story, but not true.
Have you ever gone around a corner in your Vanagon (RVC) at a good rate of
speed? Heels over pretty good, doesn't it?
Same thing happens on a sailing ship with the wind from any quarter other
than straight aft. Piling things up isn't a good plan, especially cannon
balls. Think about a strong breeze from starboard and three foot waves, and
watch your feet!
IIRC the urban legends sites said there was no well defined source for the
'Freeze the balls off a brass monkey' statement. Not quite sure why you
consider it dirty, though. I keep my brass well polished.
- Mike
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 12:09:09 EST
From: JordanVw@AOL.COM
Subject: friday humor (NVC whatsoever) (f)
this was fwd to me, thought it was funny..
chris
> In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters
> carried iron cannons. Those cannon 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 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. But, if this plate was
> made of=A0 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 dirty expression, didn't you?)
Mike Finkbiner
mike_l_f@hotmail.com
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