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

• March 1878 - New Patent Slip for Penarth - "The Board of Trade have given permission to Messrs Edwards and Fry to erect a new patent slipway and gridiron on the banks of the Ely river, on the north-east of Penarth Dock. Through the want of this accommodation the dock has lost a large amount of trade. The new slip will employ a large number of people." Cardiff Times [019] 2nd March1878.

• April 1878 - Terrible Tragedy in Penarth Roads - Desperate Attempted Murder and Suicide - "A terrible tragedy was enacted in Penarth Roads early on Tuesday morning. The Agnes Sutherland, full-rigged sailing ship pf St. Johns, New Brunswick, left Penarth Dock on Monday, bound for Rio Janeiro, with a cargo of coal. Captain George Sutherland and a crew of twenty all told. The crew were engaged at Liverpool and brought down to Cardiff on Monday. Most of the men were unknown to each other, some were foreigners, and there was among them a Greek, aged about 40, named Peter Dovboch. On the journey he quarreled with one of the sailors, they had " a few words," but nothing serious came of it and the crew were shipped in apparently, as amicable a frame of mind as men usually are to be found prior to setting out on a long voyage. The Agnes Sutherland put into the Roads and waited there for a fair wind.

On the night of Wednesday, eleven of the crew were sleeping in the forecastle, five on one side and six on the other. The second mate and an able seaman were on deck watch. Among the eleven sleeping sailors was an Irishman, named Hugh Tracey, a young fellow about twenty-four years of age. In the dim dawn, a few minutes before five o'clock, Tracey was awakened by a hard blow on the right breast. Half asleep and half awake, he turned over, thinking he had been called to go on watch. He put his hand to his side ; it was wet with blood. He staggered to his feet and rushed to alarm the watch. As he did so he fancied he saw a dark figure crossing a rope and making for the hold. At first the mate (James Davies) would not believe him. He was quickly convinced, however, that the poor fellow was in mortal plight. Tracey was able to ask him if he saw a man running by. The mate said, Yes ; he saw the Greek running towards the hold and Davies at once went to rouse the captain.

The captain came on deck half-dressed, and every-body now awake, gave orders to seize the Greek and put him in irons. The Greek had taken refuge in the forehold. The vessel was not laden to within five or six feet, and Dovboch had gone under the bow. The captain ordered the crew to knock the knife out of his hands and secure him. The Greek glared at his pursuers, brandishing the knife, and swore that he would not be taken alive.