Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - Working the Ely Tidal Harbour . . .

1872 - "Fatal Accident to Seaman - An accident happened aboard the schooner 'William', of Hayle, as she was entering the Ely tidal harbour from Penarth roads, on the evening tide on Wednesday. A lad, named James Gregory, aged 17, was aloft in the company of Daniel Clark, getting in sail. Gregory's hands slipped from the rope he had been grasping, and fell to the deck. Another of the crew, Robert Jennings, ran and picked him up. He was insensible; but afterwards recovered a little, his first words on returning to consciousness being, "Oh, my poor mother!" In a few seconds he muttered, "I am dying," and then turned his face away and expired. A verdict of Accidental Death was returned." Cardiff Times - 30th March 1872 [019]

1872 - "Wreck of a Schooner on Cardiff Sands - On Tuesday night the schooner 'Lady of the Lake' became a wreck upon Cardiff sands. She left the Ely tidal harbour with a cargo of coal for Bristol. Off Penarth head her tiller broke, and she drove on to the middle pool sand bank. Her crew escaped in their own boat, whence they were put on board a trow bound for Bristol. The 'Lady of the Lake', owned, we believe by a resident of Gloucester, has since broken up." Cardiff Times - 30th November 1872 [019]

1887 - Iron Ore at Grangetown - The Taff Vale Railway Company has completed a stage at the eastern end of the Penarth Tidal Harbour for large vessels laden with iron ore. There is no space at Penarth Dock for the reception of iron ore, and the wharf has been constructed fitted with four lines of rails, connected with the Penarth branch of the Taff Vale, as it was found that the owners of some of the vessels carrying iron ore objected to pay dock dues. The stage is 500 ft. long, and fitted with four hydraulic cranes, capable of unshipping 400 tons of iron ore an hour. The stage will admit two large vessels being unloaded at the same time.' - Engineering [627] [716] 22nd July 1887.

1887 - "New Works on the Taff Vale Railway - ; £8,681 for an iron ore stage at Penarth harbour, &c. ;" - Engineering [627] [716] 5th August 1887. (equivalent to £880k in August 2022).