96 Account of the measures adopted for pulling down 
Friday, and relieved the public from all alarm of the great gable 
tumbling into the Cowgate. 
On Saturday morning, while various minor preparations were 
making for drawing down the gable, Captain Head directed a 
series of mines^ or shots^ as they are termed by miners^ , to be 
made in the lower part of the buttress before described, which 
supported the east wall B. It was obvious that this pile owed 
all its stability to this projecting wall. In the one direction it 
acted as a buttress, and in the other, by its immense weight, pre- 
vented the wall from tumbling back on the houses. It oc- 
curred to Captain Head, that if its base or lower extremity were 
blown away, the support would be removed, and the buttress 
would instantly be converted into a weight abundantly suffi- 
cient to drag the whole down in the direction required. Six 
shots were accordingly inserted at the points marked 1, S, 3, 4, 
5, 6. ; each being furnished with a match decreasing in length 
from that at 1 to that at 6. The intention of which arrange- 
ment was, to demolish the foundation gradually, and not by one 
great blast, to risk overturning the whole fabric the wrong way. 
The whole quantity of powder used was 4J pounds, only fds of 
which, or about 3 pounds, were eventually exploded. 
At a little after noon, the purchase was manned by Captain 
Hope’s people ; and after several very severe tugs by the sea- 
men, who were animated to exert themselves by the shouts of 
the surrounding multitude, the top of the great gable leaped 
from its place into the centre of the building, leaving only a 
lofty shaft, extending from the top to the bottom in the most 
singular manner. This was subsequently pulled down by the 
chain, which, though broken by the first crash of the gable, 
w;as sufficiently entangled with the ruins to maintain its hold. 
This tall remnant of the wall did not failover, but plumped 
directly down by the side of the pillar which remained standing, 
to the height of 20 feet from the foundation. 
Captain Head now required every one to fall back, and the Par- 
liament Square being cleared from end to end, he advanced alone, 
and gave the word to light the matches. The pause which ensued 
• A mine is generally loaded with a box of powder, whereas, in a shot, the 
hole made by the Jumper only is filled with powder. 
