History
The watermills were operated by the power of water. At a point higher than the mill, a bund was made where the water was collected and flowed towards the mill. From the mill pipe the water entered the turbine, which was made of wood or more commonly of tin like the one in our village with a slanting draw from which the water fell with great force. At the end of the turbine there was a siphon, a narrow hole, so that the water would fall with pressure on the mill’s impeller. The size of the hole was regulated thanks to special metal frames, so that the pressure could be adjusted according to the amount of water falling. The water fell with force on the impeller, which was about 1.5 m in diameter. A metal shaft connected the impeller to the upper millstone, which rotated, while the lower millstone remained still. The millstones were made of granite or other hard stone and were approximately 1,10 to 1,30 m in diameter. The cross or hoist was a mill component which was used to raise or lower the upper millstone so that the grinding would be coarse or fine, depending on the use for which it was intended: fine flour for bread, coarse flour for boulourogouri (groats) or trahanas. Above the millstone was a bowl on which the grain to be ground was thrown. The flour fell into the flour pan, which was placed in front of the millstones. From there the miller would scoop it into the sacks with a shovel. The watermill could grind up to 1,200 ounces (about 1.5 kg) of wheat per 12-hour period. Depending on the volume of grain, the miller had to work day and night.
Μill location
This particular watermill is located in the location of Mylos, a place name due to the presence of the watermill, and we do not know the exact date of its construction. It operated at least from the 19th century until the 1960s. The last miller was Papa Vassilis Panagou (Lambrakis) who slept in a small room next to the mill. Unfortunately the mill was destroyed in the great fire of 1990 and then it was left to its fate and slowly collapsed, a large part of it. Only a small part of the building and its drum survive. It is planned to reconstruct it in the coming years and to use it for educational purposes.
