Volume Twelve - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - further aspects - A History of Penarth Dock by Roy Thorne . . .

"Yesterday a fatal accident happened on board the brig "Coldstream" of Ipswich, then lying in Penarth Roads. A seaman named William Taylor, aged 20, was aloft loosing the foresail when he slipped and fell from the foreyard and on to the deck. He was brought ashore and taken to the Hospital Ship where he died in the evening. The verdict at the inquest was "Accidentally killed."

273,996 tons of coal were exported from Penarth in 1865, and the increase in shipping resulted in a coastguard station with a look-out tower being established in 1864 between Marine Parade and Plymouth Road, with a lifeboat house at the foot of the path leading down from the Coast Guard Station to the beach. The lifeboat was manned by the Coastguards.

In 1841 the Chief Officer was Frederick Weiss with four men ; in 1851 Lt. Malcolm Crew-Read R.N. was in charge with four men ; in 1861 James Bryon was Chief Officer with five men, and in 1871 Capt. William Evans had five men. The Coastguards then were recruited from the Royal Navy.

The first lifeboat from 1861 to 1868 was "George Gay" and named after the donor. For the period 1865 - 68 it was renamed "Baroness Windsor." The second, 1868 - 75, "George Gay", the third period 1875 - 81, the fourth, 1881 - 97, and the fifth, 1898 - 1905 had boats named "Joseph Denman".

There were launching problems for the crews, particularly at low tide where the foreshore was "flat and uneven, soft and uncertain." [1167]

A new lifeboat house with a slipway was built near the dock entrance in 1883. In that year the total tonnage of ships entering Penarth Dock was 1,316,265 tons ; 384,990 tons, sailing vessels and 931,275 steam vessels. [1168] 

There were hazards within the shelter of the dock as this extract from "Cardiff Times", 23rd of December 1871 shows : - "Yesterday at midway, a fire was discovered on board the "Psyche" of London, Captain Fred Harris, 652 tons register, lying in Penarth Dock basin, ready for sea. The Captain's wife was sitting in the cabin when she saw flames issuing through the floor which would lead to the belief that the fire broke out in the after hold and extended to the lazarette under the cabin.