Plan

Plan is situated in the Valley of Gistaín (valle de Chistau) which is shown on any map of the region. Leave L'Ainsa towards Bielsa and the French border. Turn right in Salinas de Sin and follow the not very wide road until you reach Plan. Once there continue you way. The road rounds the village towards San Juan de Plan. You'll find the mill (1) at the right side almost at the end of the village in the bed of the Río Cinqueta.

Pictures: 04.III.2010

(1) Both mills seen from the village

(2) Mills with Plan in the back

(3) Wheat mill (left) and saw mill

The structure is a combination of a wheat mill and a saw mill (3). The flour mill (1, 7, left in 3) was recently restored; its contents however were found stacked away in the adjacent building (8). Let's hope this doesn't turn out to be forever.

The saw mill (serrería) is in a rather good shape and ready to run were it not for the lack of water because the supply system is broken. The layout of the workplace (4) is the same like in Gistaín. Notice that the floor inside is lowered in order to make the rails level with the ground outside (3).


	(4) Serrería: the workplace

The turbine which makes everything run is located inside a small extension of the main building: see (2) and left in (4).

It is a French brand installed by a French company (5, 6). On April 11, 1922 Joseph Négri —an Italian living in St Dié—was granted United States patent 1,412,313 for his hydraulic turbine which showed some improvements in the regulation of the current.

(5-6) Turbine with its tags

TURBINES NÉGRI S^T DIÉ
B^TE 5606 FRANCE ETRANGER
N° 450

BARBIER & BESSON
Matériel d'Usine & Entreprise
Machines-Outils Fer & Bois
Toulouse

(7) The wheat mill

The contents of the harinero were stacked away in the saw mill (4 center behind the saw head, 8): a round dust cover (guardapolvo), a crane, a wooden ladder, and a nice hopper labeled Juan Molins Ainsa. It's the first and only specimen of this brand we've found so far.
One of the inner sides features rows of small studs (10) as units of measure. More than 20 years ago exact the same system was found in the flour mill of Lacort.

I hope that the fittings soon find their way back to their proper place in the restored building —we've seen otherwise though.