Volume Nine - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - Mr. B's 1836 Ely Docks . . .

In point of fact, that would have led to nothing, unless his opinions had chimed with mine; for so sensible a man would no more have disputed a nautical point with me, than I would have wrangled on the catenary curve and suspension power with him

On going over to Cogan Pil, I saw at once, that it was no place of refuge for a vessel of any magnitude to run for in bad weather, as had been erroneously represented to me. This arises from several irremediable causes, which are soon obvious to the seamen’s eye, and will be alluded to presently.

But the first and principal reason of my rejecting it, was its unfitness for the commerce of the country. This will strike any competent person the instant he looks at it; and I venture to say, that it is a point on which nineteen out of twenty nautical men would concur; nor is there any good reason why they should not be unanimous.”

He states that the River Ely tides run at four or fives knots with a rise and fall of 32 feet (9.8m) and at the Cogan Pill and there is a danger of ships being shut in there as well as obvious difficulties of sailing any ship around Penarth Head, into the River Ely with its narrow channels and turning into the Pill which consideration to the wind strength and direction, the state of flow of the tide and the time of the tide such as at night. Then there are questions about towing ships in and out using equine or mechanical horse power, both of which were rejected for practical reasons.

A series of witnesses, for (the 'Coganites'), and those against the Cogan Pill scheme, who were in favour of the Cardiff Docks development, were cross-examined by Smyth. Finally, common sense and the practicalities of masters of sailing ships and their knowledge of the seas prevailed. The conclusion was that the Cogan Pill harbour development was impractical, so it was overruled and the scheme died. It seems that Brunel had underestimated or not considered many critical limitations of navigation into, and out of the Pill, including the wind and tidal extremes which sailing ships would be subject too.

Documents on the subject at the Glamorgan Archives provide a great insight, however, into the prospects for development of the coal trade export outlet at Penarth and the Ely Tidal Harbour but, alas, the TVR and colliery owners had to wait another quarter of a century before new, initiative, and practical plans were turned into reality.