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T think there can bo little doubt that the conversation between the deceased and Neilson, taken 
together with the recovery of the shattered tin, furnishes a perfectly reasonable conclusion as to the cause. 
Hutcheson was doubtless engaged in thawing the dynamite, and using the tin for the purpose. He 
probably was operating on six cartridges, viz., three for the east heading and three for the west heading ;* 
and I venture to assume that he had taken one of the six to Neilson as a sample, and was in the act of 
replacing it with the others on the tin when the explosion occurred, shattering his hand, blowing off his 
heqd (which would be immediately over the cartridges), and throwing his body in the direction in which, 
from its position, it would bo necessarily conveyed. This explanation fits all the known circumstances, as 
well as the probabilities of the case, very remarkably; thus— 
(1.) It explains the disappearance of the exact number of cartridges (six) which have to be accounted 
for; 
(2.) It. explains the destruction of the tin case and the position of the recovered fragments exactly; 
(3.) It is consistent with the nature of the injuries sustained by the deceased and with the direction 
in which his remains were conveyed; 
(4.) It fixes the preciso spot of the explosion as being near the ground, on which doubtless the tin 
rested; 
(o.) It would bo natural for Hutcheson at once to resume the thawing process on hearing from 
Neilson that the cartridge he had showed him was not sufficiently softened; and, indeed, 
Hutcheson had himself said to Neilson that lie would at once complete the softening of the 
cartridge. 
Some further support of this explanation is afforded by the following circumstances :— 
(6.) If Hutcheson was thawing the cartridges he must have been employing some form of heat. 
The men whom I examined appeared anxious to suggest that after the rejection of the tin case 
the thawing was effected by placing the cartridges against the men’s warm bodies. If 
Hutcheson had been employing this mode, it would not have been necessary for him, after 
ascertaining from Neilson that the sample cartridge was insufficiently thawed, to go back to 
the main level. lie would have merely restored the partially thawed cartridge to interior of his 
shirt. But that he did go back immediately to the main level is proved by the fact that he was 
there when the explosion occurred, which, according to Neilson, was a very few seconds after the 
conversation. If Hutcheson had a thawing apparatus in the level it would be natural for him 
to promptly replace the partially thawed cartridge upon it ; while, if he had no such thawing 
apparatus, it is difficult to understand why he should have gone to the main level at all. 
(7.) Alexander Williamson is quite positive that when the two tins were rejected they were placed 
or thrown against the right wall of the east heading. The smaller tin was fouud there after¬ 
wards, and seen by myself in that position. The larger tin, as wo know, had been removed to 
the spot where the explosion occurred. Who had removed it, and why ? None of the four 
surviving men (as I understand) admit having removed it; but this point is of less immediate 
importance than the question of why it was removed. I ascertained beyond doubt that the tin 
had no other use than that to which Hutcheson (who had himself brought it down the mine for 
the purposef) had intended to apply it, viz., for the thawing of dynamite (in conjunction with the 
smaller tin). Accordingly, we seek in vain for any object for the removal of the tin from the 
east heading to the main level, unless it were to be used in connexion with the thawing of the 
dynamite. 
(8.) Some of the recovered pieces of tin have a blackened, smoked appearance, which tends to show 
that at some time or other the tin had been exposed to the action of a lamp or lire of some 
sort. 
Taking all the circumstances into consideration, I have no hesitation whatever in expressing my 
opinion that the explosion was the result of the use by the deceased, John Hutcheson, of the meat tin for 
the thawing of the dynamite.^ 
I have considered in what way it is likely Hutcheson was using the tin. The appearance of the 
recovered portions of the tin are inconsistent, I think, with an explosion of dynamite within the vessel. 
Such an explosion (especially of the quantity which we know had gone off) must have blown the tin into 
small fragments. Some portions have doubtless been so affected, for a great part of the tin has not been 
recovered. But the portions recovered are not in fragments, they are ripped and shattered, and have 
evidently been subjected to a good deal of violence ; but they are not, as every part of the vessel must have 
been if the charge had exploded within it, blown to small pieces. Accordingly, I conclude that the 
explosion took place outside the tin. 
It, is, I think, probable that Hutcheson had placed the tin mouth downwards upon the ground, over 
the flame of a lamp,j| or over a little oil and wick, in a depression in the coal, and had placed the cartridges 
to be thawed on the bottom of the tin. He may have thought that by this means he would be keeping the 
cartridges at a sufficient distance from the source of heat (viz., the height of the tin) to render the process a 
safe one, in fact that ho would bo merely availing himself of the agency of heated air instead of that of 
heated water to effect the thawing of the dynamite. Such a conception, if he entertained it, was fatally 
incorrect. It would be merely a question of time when the explosion would take place. 
This suggestion as to the particular mode of thawing employed by Hutcheson has the merit of 
explaining («) the total disappearance of portions of the tin, including the bottom, on which the charge 
rested ; W the recovery of portions of the sides in a shattered condition, but not blown into small frag¬ 
ments ; ( c ) the recovery of these pieces distributed about the spot where the explosion had taken placo and 
* Hogg Neilson informed me that he had told Hutcheson he would shortly require three cartridges for the east 
heading. The same number were also required for the west heading. 
f Alexander Williamson’s evidence. 
X A sample of the recovered and unexploded dynamite has been examined by Dr. Dupr<$, and proved to be of fairly 
normal and satisfactory quality. 
|| His own lamp, as stated, was recovered after the accident a good deal disfigured, hut it is not very likely that 
this lamp had been used in the manner suggested. But as it was the original intention of the man to thaw the dynamite 
by heating water in the tin, it is quite possible that an extra lamp may have been taken down. 
