European forges and water power

[fernando]

The oldest Portuguese facilities for the making of weaponry were established in the village of Barcarena by King Dom João II in 1487. The next King Dom Manuel installed in this arsenal a workshop with a mill for the making of gunpowder. Later in 1621 Leonardo Turriano proposes a millstone system for the crushing, mixing and hardening of gunpowder, to be powered by the water that fell from a watermill placed in the stream situated by the side of the building. This first system only had one millstone, made of limestone. In the 18th century the system was improved to two millstones. The next and impiortant improvement was changing the plates and wheels to those of wood, coated with bronze. This was a significant evolution, as the risk of fire was reduced and so was the weight of the equipment. Apparently this complex hidraulic system, fed by the nearby stream and underneath running waters lase until the end of the 19th century.


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