Brass Monkeys -- Seeking Aid

[Capt. Red Douglass]

Ahoy All,

I come to you seeking aid. I'm working up a new show and want to include a bit about Brass Monkeys. I know the basic information about where and when the term came into being. That's not what I'm asking about.

A couple of years back, I chanced upon a website with an interesting take on the subject. It was pruely fun, but fun I want to use. The person or persons behind this website had come up with or were retelling a myth that at one point there were monkeys that had a brass coloring to their fur, hence the name Brass Monkey. Now, if memory serves, these monkeys were supposed to be very smart and highly sought after for ship mascots. The probelm came from their small size and the size of their dangling parts. When, they got into colder climents, the poor monkeys were not able to keep these parts warm and if it got too cold they would freeze off. Thus, leading to the phrase, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a Brass Monkey."

I know the tale, but would like to find the website again or the person who came up with the tale so that I can get the proper permissions to make use of it. Any aid would be greatly appreciated.

Capt. Red Douglass,

The Daring Douglasses

www.thedaringdouglasses.com

[Aurore Devareaux]

I beg pardon for the following bold enlightenment, monsieur.....

Brass Monkeys are in all truth, the cradle that cannon balls were stacked upon, in regard to vessels of the sea. (Generally refering to British Naval.) The phrase in question refers to the contraction of metal in cold weather, thus causing the "balls" to fall off.

No insult intended, I assure you.

[Capt. Red Douglass]

As I said in my first psot, I know what Brass Monkeys are held to be. I've seen both sides of the discussion. That is not what I'm looking for. What I'm after is the source of the myth about Brass Monkeys being actual monkeys. I know I saw in on the Internet and I'm farily sure that I saved it, but now that I need it, I can not find it.

So, agian I'm asking does anyone know of the website where I can find this tale, tall though it is. Failing that, does anyone know who came up with it in the first place? A heading to either would be of a great help.

Red Douglass,

The Daring Douglasses

www.thedaringdouglasses.com

[MorganTyre]

I beg pardon for the following bold enlightenment, monsieur.....

Brass Monkeys are in all truth, the cradle that cannon balls were stacked upon, in regard to vessels of the sea. (Generally refering to British Naval.) The phrase in question refers to the contraction of metal in cold weather, thus causing the "balls" to fall off.

No insult intended, I assure you.

Snopes addressed this one quite some time ago -

http://www.snopes.com/language/stories/brass.htm

I don't have the time to figure out the math but just looking at this table http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase...bles/thexp.html and how relatively close on the scale brass and iron are it would take a huge temperature change before the difference in size between the "monkey" and the cannon balls would have any noticable affect so the whole "feeze the balls off" is questionable. From personal experience I've taken a torch to frozen turnbuckles many times (stainless steel into bronze) and it takes ALOT of heat for the difference in the expansion to make any difference and that difference is measurable in feel more than anything. Sounds more like a good story than history. Is there anything official from any historical period referring to any thing on board actually called a "brass monkey"?