Volume One - Into the Victorian Age - Some newspaper reports from the 1880's

• December 1888 - Explosion at Penarth Dock - "An explosion occurred on Monday morning on board the s.s. Sutton, commanded by Captain Colin, which is at present taking in a cargo of coals in Penarth Dock. It appears that the carpenter, a coolie, took a naked light into the lazaette, and immediately afterwards an explosion was heard. It was then ascertained that the man's arm was badly burnt, and he was conveyed to the Hamadryad Hospital Ship. The explosion is attributed to coal gas. Fortunately it was not of a violent character, and beyond the injury sustained by the carpenter, no damage was done," Cardiff Times [019] 1st December 1888.

• December 1888 - Accident at Penarth Dock - A Steamer and a Tug-Boat Jammed in the Entrance - Probable Wreck of the Vessels - "An accident of a somewhat peculiar character occurred at the entrance to Penarth Dock on Tuesday morning, and resulted in considerable damage to a Cardiff steamer and a Liverpool tug-boat. There was an unusually large demand for admission to the dock, and, consequently, time was economised as much as possible. About half-past ten o'clock permission was given the Alaska, a steamer of 1,300 tons, owned by Mr. Matthew Thompson, of Cardiff, to enter. This she did. Everything is clear up to this point, but the accounts given of what took place afterwards vary somewhat.

From what our reporter could gather, however, from a number of people who witnessed the accident, it appears that whilst the Alaska was still in the entrance her progress was delayed by another steamer ahead. In the meantime the tugboat Thomas Joliffe, owned by Mr. Joliffe, of Liverpool, was towing the ship Avon, and the officer in command, thinking that the Alaska would be clear by the time the Thomas Joliffe reached the entrance, steamed in. The stopping of the Alaska, however, threw all the calculations awry, and the result was that the tug caught up the steamer, and both became jammed in the entrance, neither able to move.

Another account, and one on the face of it that seems to be more plausible, is to the effect that the tug, seeing the Alaska in front, eased up, in order to allow the steamer time to pass in, but, in consequence of the vessel in tow having too much way on her, the tug was forced into the entrance. The Avon was at once got out of the way, and a number of tugs were soon on the spot. Five of them endeavoured to move the Thomas Joliffe, but without any result, and it was feared that both steamer and tug would break up at low water. Another danger faced by the steamer in that only about half her length rested on the sill, the other half having no other support than the tug, which was just under her quarter.