It was a day of death and destruction the scale of which has seldom been witnessed in Edinburgh - and the yet the terrifying incident is now largely forgotten.
At around 12.30pm on Tuesday July 16, 1901, an ear-splitting explosion broke out at the Tod Brothers flour mill in Baker's Place, Stockbridge, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake and claiming the lives of six people.
The tremendous blast came from behind the offices of the busy mill, which employed around 35 people, where workers had been engaged in the removal of an old gas engine that was to be replaced by a new electric system.
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It was reported that engineers had used a naked flame while uncoupling the connection and had neglected to turn off the gas in the process, leading to the explosion, which destroyed a neighbouring shop unit and showered the main street with debris.
One eyewitness, Mr McMichael, a local councillor, said it had been a minor miracle that there hadn't been more injuries, as the street had been very busy at the time with workers and school children grabbing their lunch.
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The force of the explosion blew a dividing wall between the mill and the premises of Mr Bowie, grocer and wine merchant, to smithereens, with the contents of Mr Bowie's shop blown out on to the main thoroughfare.
Recalling the horror incident, one mill worker said he had been on the first floor of the complex along with four others at the moment of the blast. In an instant, the men responded by throwing themselves to the floor "just as a great burst of flame spurted forth".
Several of the workers escaped via a bag chute, while others made haste down the stairs as the ensuing blaze intensified.
A number of residents living in nearby tenements at St Stephen Street reported having their rear windows blown in by the blast and some items of furniture wrecked.
In the aftermath of the mill explosion, the surrounding streets were brought to a standstill as the firefighters battled away, with a huge crowd gathering to witness the devastation.
Thirteen people, including a young boy, were treated for burns and cuts, with one young girl said to have sustained severe burns.
A total of six people sadly died as a result of the blast, with some succumbing to their injuries in the city's Royal Infirmary.
The death toll could have been far greater if not for the proximity of Saunders Street fire station, which was situated just around the corner. The fire service were able to attend the scene swiftly and eventually managed to bring the blaze under control.
The Tod's Mill explosion remains one of the worst peacetime disasters in Edinburgh's history.
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