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 Ethyl Export Corporation concerning the supply of 1-litre cans of Ethyl Fluid for experimental work.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27a\4\ Scan281 | |
| Date | 1st December 1933 | |
| CABLEGRAMS: ETHYLPORT, LONDON. TELEGRAMS: ETHYLPORT, CHURTON. ETHYL EXPORT CORPORATION Incorporated in the State of Delaware, U. S. A.{Mr Adams} with limited liability. ABFORD HOUSE, VICTORIA LONDON, S.W.1 Telephone: VICTORIA 5 5 2 0 Head Office: 135 EAST 42ND STREET NEW YORK, U.S.A PERSONAL E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} W. Hives Esq., Aero Engine Dept., Rolls Royce Ltd., Nightingale Road, DERBY. 1st December, 1933. Handwritten: 81/82. YNG See me HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} 1-litre cans of Ethyl Fluid. Dear Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}, I would like to confirm our telephone conversation this morning with regard to the above subject. I do not want you to think that we are being obstructionists over this matter as this is certainly not the case, and you can rely upon us doing all we can to help you. The 1-litre can business was only ever considered a very experimental basis of adding lead to petrol and we, in the first place, limited it very strictly to laboratories, but we quite saw that engine manufacturers, such as yourselves, would require to have it in this form for sundry experimental work. The trouble is, however, that, with the amount of lead you have been having lately, it offers a very great health risk to the man who is blending the lead with the petrol and in fact, he must have been subjected to a greater risk than anyone in this country or America, because although blends of up to 2,000,000 gallons are made weekly by the various oil companies, for motor fuel, the blending equipment which we use together with the medical control exercised by us over the blending personnel, obviates any risk to the latter. The oil companies in this country, who have contracts with us, are now in the position to supply any quantity of leaded petrol for aviation use with any concentration of lead you require, and they can do this at short notice. I would advise that you specify to them the exact quantity of lead you require in the petrol together with the final Octane value desired and they can supply the fuel to you under the usual A.I.D. release note. For instance, they are already supplying fuel to D.T.D. 230 specification with 4 c.c.'s of lead per gallon, for developmental work. Naturally, should you wish to keep a case of Ethyl Fluid on hand for emergencies or for raising the lead concentration for a particular test, we have no objection to this and I repeat, we are only too glad to meet you in every way possible. I should be very grateful if you would look into this matter and drop me a line to let me know what you can do. Also I would be very glad if you would advise me what you want us to do with the order which has just come through for 48 cans. | ||