Adolf Overweg
Adolf Overweg ( born July 24, 1822 in Hamburg, † September 27, 1852 in Maduaria Lake Chad ) was a German astronomer, geologist and explorer. Together with Heinrich Barth and the Englishman James Richardson, he embarked on an crossing the Sahara from Tripoli.
Life
After attending school in Hamburg Overweg studied in Bonn and Berlin, geology and astronomy. He became in 1844 a member of the fraternity Fridericia Bonn. In 1847 he received his doctorate with a geological work. Through the mediation of his teacher to him, opened the opportunity to participate in a planned by the British government expedition into the interior of Africa.
On January 18, 1850 Overweg arrives in Tripoli. Because the start of the expedition still delayed, he breaks first with Heinrich Barth to a short expedition into the hitherto neither topographically nor geologically explored Garianberge in the Sahara. The findings made by Overweg the geology of the Sahara are mainly communicated in Heinrich Barth's letters. After the return of the two researchers, the British expedition finally breaks on 24 March 1850 on the south. The route of the well-equipped expedition starts via Murzuq and Ghat on the desert-like plateau Tassili n'Ajjer after Aïr and finally in the state Damergu. The arduous journey is overshadowed by numerous raids. Also carried by Richardson maps of the areas prove to be defective and ultimately useless. Overweg then determines, including its astronomical knowledge of the longitude and latitude of places and landmarks, enabling the drawing of new, more accurate maps. During the trip, there is a repeat of disagreement between Richardson and Barth. Finally, the expedition members separated in January 1851. A reunion in Kuka is arranged. Adolf Overweg travels across Zinder, Mariadi and Gober to Kuka, where he arrived in early May a fever. There he reported the death of Heinrich Barth James Richardson. Overweg who is probably suffering from malaria, needed a rest. Therefore, Barth will travel on alone. After his recovery, Adolf Overweg explored with a boat brought the Lake Chad and the Sea Islands. In the following months he constantly breaks on both alone as well as with Barth together for intensive research into the area of Lake Chad. These trips are however constantly interrupted by attacks of fever. A final six-day fever eventually leads on 27 September 1852 death of Adolf Overweg.
Besides the already mentioned topographical provisions, Overweg addressed throughout the expedition, especially with the astronomical, meteorological, geological and hypsometric observations. This, he noted in the course of the journey with pencil on separate pieces of paper. Barth received this note after the death of geologist whose estate handed. However, these notes were no longer usable because of illegible handwriting. Therefore, there is of Overweg unlike Richardson and Barth no report on Africa expedition.