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The late 19th century renewal of the Besshi Mine—annual production from which had fallen to just 430 tonnes—was made possible by technological innovations in all three of mining’s essential components: extraction, smelting, and transport. The adoption in 1882 of dynamite to blast open mine shafts dramatically accelerated progress, while the introduction in 1891 of a rock drill enabled the extraction of large quantities of ore. Steam provided the compressed air to power the rock drills of this era, which meant operation was hardly easy. But when contrasted with the hand-wielded hammers that Besshi miners used during the mine’s first 177 years (from its 1691 opening), this rock drill was truly revolutionary. In 1888, Sumitomo completed a western-style smelter at Niihama, which overlooks the Seto Inland Sea, to smelt large quantities of ore, and in 1893 the company opened a dedicated rail line to connect the mine with the new smelter.
In the years surrounding the Besshi mine’s 200th anniversary, it re-emerged as one of the largest copper mines in the world, with annual copper production exceeding 2,000 tonnes. |
