Waterwheels and mills
10/01/2014 17:05:24
"Mallorcans call the waterwheels sínies from the Arabic, Bir el-sini (garden well). There are an abundant number on all the island.
In Sa Pobla and Muro there are a large number due to the marjals, as well as in Montuïri, Campos and Porreres because, being on the plain, "El Plà", springs stand out for their scarcity. In Palma, despite the existence of important springs, the presence of the "Horta" explains the reason behind the large number of waterwheels.
In terms of construction and features, Mallorcan waterwheels are similar to those on Ibiza. Like the latter, they are exclusively moved by mules, rarely by donkeys. The animals’ eyes are covered with palm leaves. They tend to be built on some more or less elevated point to provide the water obtained with a greater fall. The depth of the well can vary depending on the town, between 3 and 25 meters though there are some deeper ones.
The windmills serve the same function, extract water, and are similar to those so commonly found in the south of France, their number increasing on Mallorca year after year. As such, today (1872) there are 12 in Manacor district and 44 in Palma’s, distributed as follows: 1 in Artà, 4 in Campos, 5 in Montuïri, 1 in Petra, 1 in St. Joan, 6 in Andratx, 2 in Llucmajor and 36 in Palma. All those existing mills on Mallorca were designed and built by Mallorcans. The ones providing the best results were built under the direction of and with the data provided by the former professor of Physics and Chemistry at the Instituto Balear, Lorenzo Vicens. Two mills on the island and one in Barcelona have been built according to his system."
Archiduque Luis Salvador de Austria. Las Baleares por la palabra y el grabado. Mallorca: Parte General. Ed. Sa Nostra, Caja de Baleares. Palma de Mallorca. 1.982.
