196 Tage auf treibender Eisscholle

Emil Bessels (1847/1888) was a German naturalist and Arctic explorer. He studied natural sciences and medicine in Jena and his hometown, and in 1869, at the instigation of Petermann, he embarked on his first Arctic expedition aboard the steamer Albert to investigate the eastern Arctic Ocean between Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya and to explore Gillisland. Only the first task was accomplished, as unfavorable ice conditions prevented the exploration of Gillisland. However, important hydrographic work was carried out, and a complete series of depth measurements was taken, as well as the first evidence of the existence of the Gulf Stream east of Spitsbergen. In 1871, Bessels was called to the United States to take over the scientific leadership of the North Pole expedition under Charles Francis Hall. From 1871 to 1873, the expedition reached a height of 82° 26' north latitude in the northern extension of Smith Sound, a point that had not been reached by any other ship. However, the ship (Polaris) was lost, and all collections were destroyed. From the direction of the tidal wave and found walnut driftwood, Bessels concluded a northern connection of this body of water with the Bering Sea. Bessels then worked for nine years for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. From the book: 'As preparations for our return were nearing completion in the Polaris house in early May 1873, news spread through all civilized lands that a small group of shipwrecked survivors, clad in rags and near death from hunger, had reached the capital of Newfoundland. These unfortunate souls were the nineteen who had been separated from us on that fateful October night when the Polaris was wrecked on the east coast of Smith Sound...'.