Volume Two - The Era of Optimism, Investment & Development - Coal gas explosions etc . . .

Every exertion was made by the officers and crew of the ship, but without much success and the flames continued to increase until they ultimately enveloped nearly the whole of the after part of the barque, and spreading upwards toward to yard, lighted up the sea for a great distance around . . . it was resolved there was no chance of saving the vessel, and to scuttle her.

A steam tug took her in tow. She slipped her cable and was taken on to the east mud out of the navigation channel, where she speedily sank, her top-mast and yards alone being visible at high water. The mate had a fractured leg and was removed to the Hospital Ship."

The second report of the 23rd December 1871 in the Cardiff Times [019] is in relation to a ship on fire within Penarth Dock basin:

"Yesterday at midday, a fire was discovered on board the "Psyche" of London, Captain Fred Harris, 652 tons, lying in Penarth Dock basin, ready for sea. The Captain's wife was sitting in the cabin when she saw flames issuing through the floor which would lead to believe that the fire broke out in the after hold and extended to the lazaette under the cabin. Captain Harris at the time was at Cardiff and for a few minutes there was no-one to direct the movements to extinguish the fire.

The furniture of the cabin, the chronometer, the ship's books and papers, and most of the movables were got out, and then it was seen that the fire had made a great advance, and was stealing upwards. A telegram was sent to Cardiff for the fire-engine, there being, strange to say, no engine in Penarth Dock or in the basin.

As the steam fire-engine, by order of the Town Council, is not allowed to leave the borough, the manual engine was despatched, in the charge of Fireman Williams. It left Cardiff at 1:45 and reached the burning ship at 2:10 having taken only twenty-five minutes to get over four miles of very muddy road . . .

By this time the fire had got possession of the whole of the cabin and the flames rolled up the hatchway in dense volume that enwrapped the mizzen mast for a considerable height and threatened to destroy it. . . .