From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Letter from a cable manufacturer discussing experiments with Thiokol Cable, noting its unpleasant odour and increased cost.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 61\1\ scan0275 | |
| Date | 9th December 1935 | |
| TELEGRAMS: "LIMITED, HELSBY." TELEPHONE No 66. WORKS: PRESCOT AND HELSBY. REGISTERED B.I. TRADE MARK HEAD OFFICE: PRESCOT, LANCS. TELEGRAMS: "INSULATOR, PRESCOT." TELEPHONE No 171 PRESCOT EIGHT LINES PRIVATE BRANCH EXCHANGE Handwritten: 86110 BRITISH INSULATED CABLES Ltd., Makers of PRESCOT and HELSBY CABLES Manufactures: ALUMINIUM. SHEETS & SECTIONS BOXES. JOINT & SERVICE. NETWORK. CABLES. FOR ALL ELECTRICAL PURPOSES. COMMUTATOR BARS. COMPOUNDS. CONDENSERS. STATIC. COPPER. STRANDS & SECTIONS. FLEXIBLES. FUSE BOXES. KNIFE SWITCHES. METERS. OVERHEAD EQUIPMENT. RAILWAY, TRAMWAY, LIGHT & POWER. PAPER PINIONS. PILLARS & KIOSKS. RAIL BONDS. VARNISHES. WELDERS. ELECTRIC. WIRE. ALUMINIUM, COPPER, COTTON COVERED, ENAMELLED, SILK COVERED, FUSE, TROLLEY. WIRING SYSTEMS. H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} West, Esq., Messrs. Rolls-Royce, Ltd., DERBY. HELSBY, NEAR WARRINGTON. PLEASE ADDRESS THE COMPANY AND REFER TO EAB. 9th. December, 1935. Dear Mr. West, I am glad that your experiments with Thiokol Cable have given satisfactory results, but regret that its unpleasant odour is so much in its disfavour that you are forced into the position of not being able to use it. We are of course carrying out further experiments, and as a matter of fact have produced a material in which the smell is so much reduced as to be hardly perceptible, but the difficulty is that with this material the cost has gone up so considerably that I fear it is of no use putting it on the market. We are experimenting further, but in the meantime will you give me your opinion as to whether it is of any use attempting to sell such a cable at an increase of something like 50% over the present prices. Yours faithfully, British Insulated Cables Limited. [Signature: Ernest A.{Mr Adams} Sayers] Works Manager- Helsby. | ||