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

• March 1873 - Penarth - Wreck on Shore - "On Saturday morning's tide, about nine, the ship, American, of St. John's N.B., coming out of Penarth Dock being in tow by a steam tug, when outside and off Penarth Head, came in collision with the French brig Marie Suzanne, of Vannes, at anchor, with iron ore from Bilboa. Both vessels nearly drove on shore before parting, though steamtugs were in attendance. The brig drove on shore near Lavernock point, the crew having left in their own boat to the steamtug. At this time the coastguards were observed running along the shore with the rocket apparatus, in the event of its being required, but it was not brought into use. The brig is likely to become a total wreck. The ship American anchored off Sully, being much damaged." Cardiff Times [019] 22nd March 1873.

The Nautical Magazine for 1872 entitled a Journal of Papers has the following article on the subject of saving life at sea and is applicable to the foregoing newspaper report in that the lives saved by the "Rocket Apparatus" referred too, are quantified:

• 1872 - Lives Saved and Cost of Saving Life - "From the Board of Trade wreck return presented to Parliament, by command of Her Majesty, it appears that in sixteen years, ended 1871, 56,111 lives were saved by the following means:-

The cost of saving these lives has been entirely bourne by the Mercantile Marine Fund, and amounts to £90,832 0s. 10d. The number of lives saved by lifeboats during the same period was, according to the returns, 6,587, and for the saving of these lives that noble establishment, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, collected and found the money ; with the exception of donations, amounting to £42,267 10s. 11d., paid by the Board of Trade out of the Mercantile Marine Fund. Payment to the Institution by the Board of Trade ceased in 1868. It doubtless contributed much to the solidity of the Institution during the fourteen years that payment was made.