History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications
from the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fiber optic network
Memorabilia & Ephemera
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History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications |
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Memorabilia & Ephemera |
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| KFK Smoker's Companion | |||||
The Polish company Krakówska Fabryka Kabli SA (Cracow Cable Factory) was established in 1928, initially manufacturing power cables and telecommunication cables. In 1998 KFK was purchased by Tele-Fonika Kable SA, a manufacturer of communications cables (both copper and optical). KFK now supplies mainly power, signalling, naval and mining cables, as well as overhead power cables, steering conductors and coil conductors. Its products thus supplement the assortment of cables offered by Tele-Fonika. Tele-Fonika's headquarters are in Myślenice (a suburb of Cracow, Poland) and manufacturing facilities are located in Myślenice, Kraków-Bieżanów, Kraków, Szczecin, and Bydgoszcz. Shown here is an early promotional item from KFK, a Smoker's Companion. Comprising a combination cigarette box, ashtray, and matchholder, it is made of black bakelite and decorated with an elephant's head holding a four-conductor cable sample in its trunk. The elephant's head lifts to reveal the cigarette box.
The following markings appear on the box:
Each conductor in the four-conductor cable is a single strand of copper; three of the conductors are a slightly heavier gauge than the fourth, so this may be a three-phase power cable with ground.
The conductors are insulated with gutta percha, then a layer of hemp, and another layer of gutta percha. Sourrounding this is a double spiral wrap layer of copper, and a hemp cord outer covering. The cable is not armoured. The materials and construction of the cable date it to the early days of the company, late 1920s to early 1930s. |
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Last revised: 23 June, 2014 |
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