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a depth of about 80 fathoms. For this purpose they had a few days previously decided to try some 
dynamite, and one of the men (Hunter), who lives in Dunfermline, obtained on Saturday, 15th December, 
a 51bs. box from Mr. Hamilton, agent to Nobel's Explosives Company, who has business premises in 
Dunfermline. 
A box of this description would contain about .35 cartridges and about 9 primers. Hunter appears 
to have taken out, and, as 1 understand, used, 10 of the cartridges, and possibly one or two primers, on the 
evening of Sunday, the 16th. The remainder were kept until the Monday at Hunter's house, and were 
then deposited (with a box of detonators) in the pit, near the place where the men were working, and within 
the shelter of a small “cundie'’ or sloping adit. 
The five men concerned went to work at 2 p.m. on the day of the explosion. For the purpose of 
thawing the dynamite they had provided two tins, one a 71bs. preserved meat tin, and the other a smaller 
cylindrical tin. It was their intention to place the cartridges to bo thawed in the smaller tin, this tin being 
placed in water contained in the larger tin, the water being heated by the flame of a lamp, or (as is 
common in heating the tea in the men's cans) by placing the can over a small hole made for the purpose 
in the stone, and into which a little oil and a wick would be placed. But it was round on proceeding to 
this operation that the small tin leaked, and (as I am informed) the apparatus was therefore rejected as 
defective, and the water in the outer pan poured away; and some of the men resorted to the not uncommon 
(though objectionable) practice of thawing the cartridges by placing them inside their shirts in contact with 
their bodies. For some little time previous to the explosion Hogg Neilson and Alexander Williamson were 
at work in the west heading; Hunter and Edward Neilson were at work in the east heading, and John 
Hutcheson (deceased) seems to have been mainly engaged in preparing the charges. For this purposo it 
would be necessary for him to go occasionally into the st cundie” (which ran obliquely out of the main 
level, towards the east), whore the explosive was kept, and back into the main level, and thence to the 
headings. Of the 25 cartridges which had been brought down, seven had been exploded in the east 
headings, seven in the west heading, with a proportion of primers, and there were found unoxploded after 
the accident four and a half cartridges* (three and a half in the “ cundie,” and one which had been dropped or 
deposited by Williamson). This accounts for 18£ cartridges out of the 25. I also found remains, probably 
of half a cartridge, broken up in the “ cundie.” Accordingly, six cartridges remain to he accounted for, 
and as none of the holes were charged at the time, it must be assumed that these six cartridges were all 
involved in the explosion. A few seconds before the explosion Hutcheson showed Edward Neilson (who 
was working in the east heading) a cartridge, and asked him if it was soft enough. Neilson pointed out 
that one end of it was still hard, upon which Hutcheson said he would soon make it soft enough, and he 
went back towards the main level. Noilson thinks that he could not have gone more than two or three 
paces when the explosion occurred, but this must he a mistaken estimate, for, as can certainly be shown, 
Hutcheson must at the moment of the explosion have been distant about four or five yards within the 
main level, or about ten yards from the face of the east heading where Neilson was at work. But it is 
quite possible that not more than a few seconds elapsed between Hutcheson’s conversation with Neilson and 
the explosion. 
The effect of the explosion was to kill Hutcheson instantly, his head having been blown to pieces 
and the fragments scattered in various directions. Thus, portions were recovered from the roof of the 
level at the junction between the two headings, and some portions in the “ cundie'’ which ran obliquely 
from a point in the main level five yards back from the junction of the two headings. It is therefore 
evident that at the moment of the explosion Hutcheson must have been standing in the main level approxi¬ 
mately in a prolongation of the “ cundie,” otherwise portions of the unfortunate man’s remains could not 
have been blown into the “cundie.” His body was blown forward to the junction of the headings; it 
was not seriously injured, except the left baud, which was smashed. His lamp (of the sort ordinarily worn 
by miners on their caps) was found, a good deal knocked about, a short distance from his body. 
The only other man who sustained injury (though not of severe character) was Edward Neilson, 
who appears to have been struck in the back by some projected debris. 
Other evidence as to the spot where the explosion occurred is afforded by the recovery of a number 
of pieces of tin (formiug part of the larger tin), which had been blown to pieces. These pieces of tin were 
distributed about the spot where, having regard to the recovery of a portion of the remains in the “ cundie,” 
Hutcheson must certainly have been standing; and the fact that the explosion did occur here is corroborated 
by the circumstance that immediately over the spot is an overhanging ledge of coal, on which were Hunter’s 
and Williamson’s jackets, and these were recovered after the explosion undisturbed and uninjured, a fact 
which goes to show that the explosion must have occurred under the projecting ledge of coal, which had 
shielded the jackets from its effects. Lastly, I am of opinion that some trace of a crater is observable at this 
point, though the irregular and broken character of the ground in the level renders this point rather 
doubtful. 
What caused the accident ? The nature of the injuries sustained by the deceased, taken by 
themselves, would perhaps suggest that it was the result of a gravely imprudent act on Hutcheson’s part, 
which is, I regret to say, not unfrequently resorted to by miners, viz., when fitting a piece of fuze into a 
detonator, pinching the detonator together into the fuze with the teeth. An explosion occurring under 
these circumstances would naturally blow the man’s head to pieces and injure the hand which held the 
charge to his mouth. But this explanation does not, I think, fit the present case, for— 
(1.) It would not explain the explosion of six dynamite cartridges; 
(2.) It would not explain the destruction of the tin can ; 
(8.) It would not explain the blowing of Hutcheson’s body in the same direction as the greater part 
of his head; 
(4.) It would not explain the appearances which indicate that the explosion had occurred on or near 
the ground; 
(5.) It would be inconsistent with the probabilities of the case,—for if Hutcheson (as appears from 
his conversation with Neilson) was actively engaged in softening the cartridges, he is not likely 
to have been engaged also in fitting together a detonator; fuzo, and charge. 
* The presence of the half cartridge is explicable by the fact that the men had cut a cartridge in two so as to use a 
half cartridge as a primer or to complete a hole. 
