Espés bajo

Espés bajo nowadays is easily reached from the main road between Castejón de Sos and Pont de Suert. Coming from Castejón you'll first have to negotiate the Collado de Fades (almost 1500 m) and then look out for the branch towards Abella and Espés. Do not enter the village of Espés bajo, but instead take the road down into the valley. At some point the GR crosses the road. Follow this markings to the west and You will soon arrive at the mill. In the likely case that You miss the GR drive the narrow road down to the river crossing. You can now walk along the river against the current and will soon find the mill. The mill taps water from the Barranco de Espés.

Pictures: 16.viii.2007, 29.vii.2020

waterworks

harinero

central eléctrica

(1) Powerstation is the lower section entirely left.

(2) Turbine with belt to the generator.

The generator was driven by the same turbine as the grain mill. But the connection is straightforward, unlike the grain mill. The ribbon wheel (left in 3) is aligned (10) with the generator wheel and a long ribbon provides the connection (2).

The turbine is a remarkable model with two discharge tubes manufactured by La Electricidad S.A. in Sabadell. One of the discharge tubes (right in 3) is marked with a serial number: № 142. We have met the same brand, not the same type however, in Ribera de Castanesa and Acumuer with the serials № 129, and № 156 respectively.

(3) Francis turbine with two discharge tubes.

(4) Generator and controls of the powerstation. — 2007

(5) Parts stripped away. — 2020

(6) Control panel

The generator (4, 10) is rather small and less powerful than most we have seen, but we couldn't find any tag with its specifications.

At the time of our first visit, a simple control panel (6) was still mounted against the wall. It was gone when we were there a second time (5). There was a switch at the bottom. It further featured a voltmeter (top left), an ampère meter, and two fuses (8) to secure the circuit.

A small plate is attached between the fuses (8). It was completely rusted, but we were still able to decipher the name E. Boixeres. The leg of the R is stretched into an energetic swirl that emphasizes the final letters.

(7) Regulator

(8) Fuses to protect the circuit

(9) Tag on the regulator (8)

(10) Generator aligned with the turbine (at the back).

Below the panel hangs a tension regulator (7, 9) from the brand Crompton & C° from Chelmsford in Essex in the east of England.

Crompton & C° was founded in 1878 by Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton and quickly became the largest distributor and manufacturer of electricity generators and lighting systems in its country. The company was also in great demand elsewhere in Europe due to its good reputation.

Crompton was not afraid to try new things. In 1893, the Scottish inventor Alan MacMasters came to Crompton with the prototype of an electric toaster, which he improved and marketed under the name Eclipse. It was the forerunner of today's almost ubiquitous appliances. The appliance was a little ahead of its time, because who had electricity in their home at the end of the 19th century?

Later, Crompton, like Carlos Vellino Roch, whom we saw in the oil mill of Banastón, ventured into experiments with a battery-powered omnibus. In November 1911, the company proposed a British double-decker powered by two battery-powered motors. It never came to anything.