Flour mill, 19th century artwork. During the 19th century, the commune (town) of Corbeil, now within the suburbs of Paris, was a centre of the flour milling industry. This cross-section shows the various levels that existed in the large and complex Corbeil mills, producing flour on an industrial scale. The power to grind the wheat into flour came from the waterwheel (bottom), driven by water falling downwards from an inlet from a river. Engraving from 'Grands Hommes et Grands Faits de l'Industrie' (Great Men and Great Facts of Industry), published in France circa 1880.