Molí de vent
So called because wind power rotates its sales, which transmit the rotation movement by means of gears to the millstones where grain is ground.
There were 72 flour mills just in Palma town ship. Most of them, like Sa Farinera, placed in Es Pla de Sant Jordi.Sa Farinera flour mill is considered to be "a narrow-tower flour mill" because its millstones are not in the top part but much lower. A long axle communicates the top gears with the millstones below and by means of a false vault the tower can be narrowed, making it easier to carry the grain to the millstones.
Millers and sailors had a lot in common. The mill trade was one of the most painful jobs in the old days. Not just for the work which it entailed, but for its dependence on the wind due to the unusual atmospheric conditions in the Balearic Islands. Its main winds are: "Embat" which blows from noon till afternoon from spring to autumn and "Mestral" or "Tramuntana" which blow the rest of the year. These two strong and steady winds made it possible to grind up to 50 "quarters" of grain but with "Embat" only 10 "quarters" were ground.
Our millers were very good meteorologists. When they felt a storm coming they would rotate the mill top and remove the canvases from the sails. Outside, on the "cintell", around the tower there are some bollards where sails were tied up to take the wind away from them.
