Know Your Largs looks back to the late 1870s as the 'News' was filled with drama from fires at Netherhall and Fairlie Free Church to a disaster involving the building of the new train tunnel.

However, we start with the story of an amazing rescue performed by an assistant lighthouse keeper near Wee Cumbrae.

During a wild September day in 1878, there was a heavy sea and fresh south westerly breeze yet one man single-handedly on a small boat managed to carry out a daring rescue attempt.

A party from Helensburgh led by George Hodge of Helensburgh including four boys and a servant girl left Millport in Mr Charles Wallace"s lugsail boat 'Cutty Sark' on a trip to Little Cumbrae.

Despite warnings about sailing on the day, Mr Hodge pressed ahead but upon the return and only 300 yards from the shore, the boat suddenly started to sink.

Lighthouse man Archibald McNeilage spotted the incident. He only had a little boy with him on board who could not row but managed to hold the oars while he was plucking people out of the water, five in total.

In a tribute letter to Glasgow"s Lord Provost Collins, Lord Kelvin of Largs, who witnessed the incident and performed a resuscitation on one of the near drowned females, wrote: 'Mrs Hodge was nearly lifeless, and McNeilage was almost beaten in his efforts to save her. It certainly needed great courage, resolution and ability to get her into the boat, crowded as it was with others.

'The servant had been keeping herself and the child afloat by holding on to the stern seat of the boat when it went down. Two dogs which had been with the party in the boat jumped on her back, and to save herself, she was obliged to let go the child and shove them off with one hand while clinging to the seat with the other.

'She could not get hold of the child again, but McNeilage caught it down below the water by dashing his hand after it when he saw it sinking. This I heard from another servant girl.

'The saving of the two elder boys was comparatively easy, as they kept perfectly quiet at all times, holding on to the two ends of the oar which their father pushed to them before he went down.

'The whole thing was over in a short time, and I still can hardly conceive how McNeilage managed to get all five on to his boat.

'I was quite astonished when I reached the spot, after probably about seven or eight minutes" rowing with four men, to see the little boat crowded with the rescued women and children.' In reference to McNeilage, the chairman of the Lighthouse Trustees group Thomas Henderson said: 'He is a young man and on that account it is all the more praiseworthy that he was so successful in saving life. I think it is quite possible we might by making an application get the Albert medal awarded to him. We are all of the opinion in regard to the gallantry of the act, and as to the necessity of it being recognised.' Mr Hodge and his second son perished and were not to be seen again following the sinking of the vessel.

Just a matter of months later, Fairlie was struck by tragedy as a terrible accident occurred on the new railway being built.

Around 18 workmen were busily deployed in excavating the new tunnel when a large mass of rock and earth fell from the roof, and buried three of the men below the debris.

Immediate action was taken to try and extricate the trapped workers, and after considerable efforts, were brought to the surface but two of the three had been instantly killed and the third was in life-threatening condition.

Doctors James and William Caskie were immediately summoned from Largs to the scene, and did all they could for the survivor and others with slight injuries.

Several heavy blasts had been fired in the tunnel during the morning, and it was thought possible that some of the structure had become loosened leading to the accident.

The names of the men who were killed were William Thomson, aged 19 and John McCarthy, 40. The latter left a widow and six children while the father and other relatives of the former were on the spot when the accident took place.

The severely injured man, Thomas McRae, aged about 45, was removed in a bus to Greenock Infirmary.

On February 1 1879, there was no loss of life but the Fairlie Free Church was destroyed by fire. Later to become known as St Margaret"s Church, the Free Kirk went on fire following a Sunday Evening service.

Shouts of 'Water!' and 'Save the session house!' could be heard but the reality of the situation was that the fire, which originated in the roof by a spark from the chimney of the heating apparatus, was well under way.

In fact, so quickly did the fire take hold of the old church that the roof collapsed within ten minutes.

Just a matter of days later, another serious blaze occurred at Netherhall at 3am.

The town was roused from its sleep by the violent ringing of the parish church bell, and the bellowing voice of the town-crier, as the farm of Betherhall, occupied by Robert Barr was in flames.

Mr Barr was awakened by the howling of one of his dogs and upon getting up was horrified to find part of the building in flames.

The fire originated in the barn and five horses perished in the incident. It was not until the new fire hose was brought from the town and attached to the pipes at the nearest point, was there to be a continuous stream of water.

The dwelling house was preserved though by the time the water had arrived, nothing could be done to save the outbuildings.

But criticism was drawn to the firefighters of the day for not having been fully compliant with the new advanced equipment which 'would have made their efforts of much more value.' It was the second serious fire within the last ten days and local people hoped that it would be the last of a series of dramas to have happened in the local district for a long time.