Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - Crossing the River Ely . .

Captain Fred Horwood, master of the 'Iona', said the boat belonged to Sir Thomas Morel. Witness's son was employed as a deck hand, but was occasionally engaged in the stoke-hole, trimming coal and clearing ashes. Three others were employed on board. the accident occurred at about 7.15 on Wednesday evening while the boat was on the way from Cardiff to Penarth, and just after she had left the low-water pier. George was in the stoke-hole and the engineer (Goddard). Perks the collector, and himself, were all on deck.Witness heard a sudden rush of steam from below, and the speed of the boat gradually lessened for about ten minutes, when the steam had creased somewhat the engineer turned it off from the top of the boiler, and subsequently discovered that a pipe had given way. Witness's son was found in the stoke-hole and was terribly scalded. Witness could not leave the bridge, and when the boat was towed into Cardiff the body was removed to the mortuary.

The boiler and machinery were inspected every six months, but the boiler was examined every month by the engineer. So far as he knew, they were in perfect order. Witness had been master of the 'Iona' since 1893. The Captain, in reply to Mr. Sankey, said he had no fault to find.

Frederick Goddard; 40, Stuart-street, engineer on the 'Iona' said he had been used to boilers for twenty years. Witness was in the stoke-hole on this occasion, and started the 'Iona'. He noticed nothing different in the boiler or machinery. At the time of the accident he had full pressure of steam - 55lb. - as usual. As soon as he could get below he went, and found the boy lying in the side of the stoke-hole and saw that he was dead. The first thing he did was to shut off the steam. He found the trunion pipe blown out of the cylinder, and that accounted for the rush of stem. The flange was still partly held by two of the studs.

The Coroner: What caused the trunion pipe to blow out? - I can't say, sir. It was a pure accident. Continuing, witness said he found nothing wrong with the studs that gave way. The Coroner said it was clear there must have been something wrong. Witness said such a thing had never happened before, and, so far as he knew, there was nothing wrong with the part of the machinery. Only last Sunday he made an inspection, and tried every day he tried all the "nuts" once or twice. Those that gave way he examined the day before the accident. The Coroner, in summing up, said the actual cause of the accident would be investigated in the usual way by the Board of Trade. The jury returned a verdict of 'Accidental death'." Weekly Mail [067] 5th July 1902.