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 detailing a fire in the Experimental Shop and progress updates on Goshawk and P.V. engine type tests.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 173\1\ img047 | |
| Date | 19th January 1934 | |
| Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}5/MJ.19.1.34. Dear Bob, I trust you had a pleasant trip and that you were well enough to enjoy the voyage. The biggest excitement we have had since you left is that we had a really good fire in the Experimental Shop and burnt out the green Bentley car. What happened was that someone was emptying the petrol tank into a bucket in the pit and for some reason which is not altogether clear although as it was smoking time it is pretty evident that it may have been caused by the end of a cigarette - the whole lot went up in flames. The men in the pit got away without being hurt and the fire was got well under control with the mechanical extinguishers, it was practically out and very little damage had been done. The Fire Brigade then arrived on the scene and got a hose pipe fixed up to the hydrant outside and started squirting water in the pit which destroyed all the effects of the mechanical extinguishers and the fire blazed up again, set off the sprinklers in the roof which drove everybody off and it then burnt itself out. The total damage was all the interior of the body, trimming, and paintwork. The Type Tests are going fairly well. The MS. and PS. Goshawks have completed 100 hours. EXP.3 completed 100 hours. EXP.3 went through satisfactorily except for main white metal bearings. We are now running a similar test using lead bronze with white metal centres. The engine has completed a further 50 hours. The P.V. engine with the straight spur gear started up on Type Test but we had trouble with the blower gears. A similar failure to what we had originally. We have recently had a visit from the C.A.S. (Chief of Air Staff). Practically the whole of our efforts at the moment on aero engines is confined to completing Type Tests. I have been very disappointed with the results of the lead bronze bearings on the Goshawk engines when running with the balanced shafts and larger diameter journals. In the case of the | ||