The first mill to pump water from the ground was based on the old flourmill and entered into operation
on 25 February 1847,
not to irrigate the land but to drain the swamps of El Pla de Sant Jordi. It was designed by a Dutch engineer
Paul Bouvij (q.v)
who was also responsible for the first feasibility study for a narrow gauge railway in Mallorca. However,
it was in 1854
when a carpenter in Pòrtol, Martí Barrera, invented the mill with a wooden wheel and no sails, known as a
ramell in Catalan
for its resemblance to a flower. A carpenter from El Molinar, Damià Rexach, replaced the sails by wooden
blades and an
ingenious priest from Algaida, Father Rafael Oliver added a tail in 1870.
When this arrow-shaped tail was opened, the mill could take full advantage of the wind and when it was
threatened by strong
winds, it could be closed using chains. The old tailpole, known colloquially as a rattail, fell into disuse.
Overview
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