Volume One - Into the Victorian Age - Some newspaper reports from the 1870's

After a few years, the "big hotel epidemic" spread through the land, and every city and town had one or more added to it, without, in many instances, any need for them. Railways and banks have had their innings, and many have been "bowled out." I hope a better fate awaits the Penarth Shipbuilding Company, which will supply a want long felt at that port." - Cardiff Weekly Mail published in the Western Mail [164] 21st June 1878.

Yet another of those coal gas explosions next:

• June 1878 - Alarming Explosion from Coal Gas at Penarth Dock - Five Men Severely Injured - "An explosion of coal gas of a very serious and singular character took place on Friday morning on board the Caduceus, a large iron screw steamer, belonging to Messrs Hall Brothers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, laying in Penarth dock. She is a splendidly built steamer of 2,700 tons, built in five water-tight compartments, and fitted up with every modern improvement. She has four holds, each of which is divided into upper and lower hold, by a kind of deck having an opening in the centre of the hatchway. With the exception of the forehatch, each is fitted with ventilators for the escape of gas from the lower and upper hold through the deck. The fore hold has ventilators in the lower hold, permitting gas to rise through them to the upper one, but there are no ventilators from the upper hold through the deck, and to this circumstance the explosion is probably due.

She was bound for Aden, and on Thursday night had received on board 450 tons of bunker coal and 2176 tons of Messrs Davies and Sons' Ferndale steam coal. The three after holds were filled, and so was the lower part of the forehold, a quantity of coal being piled up in a heap like a cone through the opening in the deck dividing the upper and lower hold, and almost blocking up the opening. As the coal in the lower hold had not been trimmed, it was believed that she would hold several tons more, and by the direction of the master, Captain Satterly, five coal trimmers in the employ of Messrs Davies and Sons, named O'Herne, James-street, Penarth ; Jonah Davies, Salop-street ; Evan Davies, Salop-street ; Henry Peregrine, Plassey-street ; and Harry Webber, James-street, went on board the vessel on Friday morning to trim the coal.

The coal as shot from No. 4 Tip, had spread at the bottom of the hold, tapering upwards in the form of a pyramid, and this coal if spread evenly over the bottom of the hold would allow the vessel to receive several tons more cargo coal. The firemen entered the upper hold about ten o'clock, and O'Hern made a hole with his fork at the opening of the division between the upper and lower hold, and soon afterwards descended.