NL 001-014_145

Source: Alfred Wegener, Tagebücher, April 1930 – September 1930. DMA NL 001/014.

[145] leer wurden, was man über die Benzinpumpe merken kann. Der Verbrauch war in beiden Schlitten genau gleich. Unser Umkehrpunkt war 80 km von hier am Schneemann jenseits der 80 km-Auftragsstange. Hier luden wir ab, füllten 3 Dunken Benzin in jeden Schlitten und nahmen vorsichtshalber noch 1 Dunke im Schneespatz mit. Als wir starten wollten bemerkten wir, dass der Öltank von Eisbär leckte. Er hat einen erheblichen Riss bekommen. Es gelang, den Riss durch Verspannung mit einer Schnur so zu verklemmen, dass er für die Rückfahrt genügend dicht hielt, und dann ging es heim.

6. September [1930]. Samstag morgen. Unsere gestrigen Geschwindigkeiten waren: Hinfahrt oberhalb der Kreuzfahrten: Durchschnittsfahrt 17 km/Stunde, nämlich erst 3 Fünfkilometerabschnitte mit 12 Kilometer/Stunde, dann 3 Abschnitte mit 23 km/Stunde! Rückfahrt Gesamtdurchschnitt 24 km/Stunde. – Das Programm muß also reduziert werden: Im Ganzen nur einmaliges Hinfahren mit Last (hoffentlich je 500 kg!). Dazu muß die ganze 400 km Strecke wahrscheinlich 4 Abschnitte geteilt

[145] which we could determine based on the gas pump. Both sleds used the same amount of gas. The turning point was 80 km from here at the “Schneemann,” beyond the 80 kilometer accumulation poles. Here, we unloaded and filled each sled with three canisters of gas, and put another canister on Schneespatz just in case. When we wanted to leave, we noticed that Eisbär’s oil tank was leaking. It had sustained a serious tear. We were able to create enough tension with a cord to hold together the tear so that it would hold up for the trip back, and then we left for home.

Saturday, 6 September, morning [1930]. Yesterday’s speeds: The outbound trip above the switchbacks: an average of 17 km/hour, namely the first 3 five-kilometer segments at 12 km/hour, then 3 segments at 23 km/hour! The return trip: an average of 24 km/hour in all. Thus, the program must be reduced: A total of one trip with a load (hopefully 500 kg each!). Therefore, the entire distance of 400 km must be divided into 4 segments.

The Wegener Diaries: Scientific Expeditions into the Eternal Ice

This virtual exhibition sheds light on Alfred Wegener’s expeditions to Greenland between 1906 and 1931. Its main focus is on the diaries Wegener wrote during his explorations, which offer unique insights into the manifold challenges man and material faced in Greenland’s extreme environments. You may choose to read the diaries in their original state, or browse the expeditions individually and read transcribed and translated excerpts by clicking on the individual chapters.

This version, published in 2020, includes minor updates to the original 2013 virtual exhibition. PDFs of the virtual exhibition, as well as original scans and transcripts of the Wegener Diaries, can be found at the exhibition’s PDF Depot.

Christian Kehrt

About the author

Kehrt, Christian

Christian Kehrt works in the fields of environmental history, military history, and the history of science and technology. He studied history and philosophy in Tübingen and Stony Brook, NY. His PhD “Moderne Krieger. Die Technikerfahrungen deutscher Militärpiloten, 1910–1945” deals with flying experiences of military pilots in the age of the two world wars. It was completed as part of the postgraduate research program “Technology and Society” at the Technical University Darmstadt and received the Werner-Hahlweg-Prize for military history, the Georg-Agricola Prize and the prize for young scholars of the German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics. As a postdoc he worked at the Deutsches Museum in Munich on a project on the origins of nanotechnology. In 2009/10 he was a Carson Fellow at the Rachel Center for Environment and Society. Currently he is pursuing a habilitation project on polar exploration in the period of the Cold War at the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg where he holds a position as a research associate.

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The Wegener Diaries: Scientific Expeditions into the Eternal Ice

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