モレルが軌間を決定した : 「ガレ会談説」の提唱

概要

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Most gauges of Japanese railways except the Shinkansen are 3 feet 6 inches. This is called narrow gauge as opposed to standard gauge(4 feet 8.5 inches), and is sometimes called `Colonial' gauge, because many British colonies, such as South Africa and New Zealand, adopted it. Of course the gauges of most countries are standard. Many Japanese writers have attempted to explain the process of adoption of this gauge, but no one has been able to establish it, because there are few Japanese records that describe the story of the gauge in detail at the beginning stage. Mr. Horatio Nelson Lay, who offered to construct and finance the railways for the Meiji government in 1869, met Mr. Edmund Morel at Point de Galle in Ceylon on 21^<st> February, 1870. Morel proposed the narrow gauge, and Lay accepted at this meeting. After returning to London, Lay conveyed this story to the editor of The Engineer. In the 1^<st> April issue, the reporter wrote, "It will be a 3 ft. 6 in. gauge railway." Using these materials, I infer the story of the selection of the Japanese gauge by Morel and George Preston White, who was the consulting engineer in Britain employed by Lay. In this article I explain when, where, and how the Japanese gauge was chosen and by whom. Additionally through reference to the Fairlie System and communication between Lay and Morel, I attempt to explain the reason that gauge was chosen.