The Coal Pit in the Mid-Meiji Era (1868-1912): Guide Rails and Rollers; Mine Car Driver
December 1694

Meiji Chuki no Yama: Surase; Nortimawashi Saodori
[The Coal Pit in the Mid-Meiji Era (1868-1912): Guide Rails and Rollers; Mine Car Driver]
37.9 x 54.3 cm Painting in Watercolors and Ink

Text at the Top Left
Surase (Guide Rails and Rollers)
The Coal beds in the Chikuho region ran descending from west to east and the pit mouths faced west. Coal pits with mouths that did not face west had curved slopes inside because of the landform of the pits.
Wide mining areas or slopes with many faults needed guide rails and rollers at many points as shown. The guide rails and rollers built correctly were complete but the simplified ones (laid on driven props) in most small-scale coal pits could break and cause great mine car stasis once a mine car derailed (domagureru). Large-scale coal pits in the Showa era (1926-1989) had surase made of steel (some of which I built). The surase never broke even if mine cars and ropes did. The 1,000-meter-long main slope of Nittetsu Inatsuki Coal Pit had a midway diagonal slope with surase turning at a 90-degree angle to the left. The mouth of the slope faced north. The surase was composed of twenty support units lined at intervals of two meters and was 40 meters long. Ball bearings were used for the pulleys installed in this part of the slope.

Text at the Bottom Left
Norimawashi Saodori (Mine Car Driver)
It was dangerous for the mine car driver to ride on the capel (connecting fittings including the wire rope socket) when he operated ascending mine cars (makibako), because the capel of the leading mine car (hanabako) was drawn toward the wall of the inner curve. However, it was dangerous for him to ride on steps between descending mine cars. He could be injured.

Lyrics of "Gotton Bushi" Song
Washi no sama-chan hako norimawashi, maite, saite,
o-rai (tomeru) sururiya tema ga son.
Gotton! Dokkoi!

My boyfriend drives mine cars, letting them wind up and down.
It's only wasting time and energy, if he stops them calling, "O-rai (Stop)!"
Gotton (Clang)! Dokkoi! (Interjected chants)"


Translation Assisted by Mr. Nathan Johndro

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