TW
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I was somewhat surprised, to put it mildly, to read in your report (Wednesday 14th November) concerning the opening of the Galatzo estate, to see that the olive press had been “recently restored” by specialists who had taken 18 months to bring it “back to working condition at a cost of 181'000 euros”.

Having visited the estate last Saturday with a cultural group, which included several retired engineers, I can assure you that all the machinery is locked solid, mainly covered with newly applied black paint and is completely inoperable.

The area where the donkeys provided the power is well restored but beyond that the power system of gears, pulleys and belts have several parts missing.
The hydraulic ram is halfway out of its cylinder and covered in paint instead of being oiled, shining steel. The compressor needs a major overhaul.
Even the rotating conic grinding stone is locked, immovable.
This is not only a shame but a disgrace, From your report visitors will be expecting to see a working, or workable installation. It is extremely difficult, in its present condition, to determine how the thing should operate.

What I cannot understand is why the authorities didn't ask the university to provide volunteers from among their graduate engineers to spend some spare time completely overhauling the equipment, replacing any missing or unsatisfactory parts.

I am sure many would have jumped at the chance to work on old machinery and get it back in working order. It would also have saved a lot of money.
The machinery is a wonderful, and probably unique, installation.
The use of a hydraulic ram, instead of the usual dead-weight wooden beams found all over Majorca, is of immense historical interest, particularly for young budding engineers, and should be preserved properly - in good working condition! Yours sincerely, Dennis Buckingham