Wolf Klaphake
Encyclopedia
Wolf Klaphake was a German-born scientist. He emigrated to Australia
in 1935, where he was interred as an enemy alien
from 1940 to 1944. He died in Sydney
in 1967.
, a small town in south-eastern Germany.
Klaphake's father, Josef Klaphake, was the director of the local abattoir; he died when Klaphake was just one year old. Klaphake, moved to Leipzig
with his mother and his sister where he grew up. He was 2.03 metres (6.7 ft) tall, lean, with fair (later grey) hair and blue eyes. Most of the few surviving photographs depict an earnest-looking man.
After a brief period with an artillery regiment in Belgium
, he returned to Leipzig to attend university. He obtained a doctorate in 1923 and moved to Berlin
to work as a chemist.
, a Spaniard who wrote in Arabic about 1,000 years ago and who mentioned the use of water condensers or Air wells
in Palestine. Kalphake went on to test several forms of air wells in Yugoslavia
and on Vis Island
in the Adriatic Sea
.
Klaphake experimented with a very simple design: an area of mountain slope was cleared and smoothed with a watertight surface with a simple canopy supported by pillars or ridges. The sides of the structure were closed, but the top and bottom edges were left open. At nights, the mountain slope would cool and in the day moisture would collect on and run down the smoothed surface. Although the system apparently worked, it was expensive and Klaphake finally adopted a more compact design based on a masonry structure. This design was a sugarloaf-shaped building, about 15 metres (49.2 ft) high, with walls at least 2 metres (6.6 ft) thick, with holes on the top and at the bottom. The outer wall is made of concrete to give a high thermal capacity and the inner surface was made of a porous material such as sandstone. According to Klaphake:
Traces of Klaphake's condensers have been tentatively identified.
In 1933, the Nazi Party assumed power in the aftermath of decline of the Weimar Republic
.
Klaphake was an individualist and quietly antagonistic towards the Nazi regime, but he kept his views to himself and he was not much troubled directly by the authorities. However, his wife Maria who was from Sweden
was the subject of Nazi suspicion because she was a trained sexual psychologist
who had been associated with an institute for sexual reform in Berlin. The Klaphakes' flat in Berlin was twice raided by the secret police. Maria was physically – and perhaps sexually – assaulted.
In 1935, Klaphake and his wife Maria emigrated to Australia, living at first in Melbourne and then moving to Sydney the following year. Klaphake worked first as a consultant chemist, and then for Industrial Microbiology Pty Ltd. This company was set up to fund Klaphake's research and then exploit the inventions he would make.
Klaphakes' decision to emigrate was probably primarily the result of Maria's encounters with the German secret police; their decision to settle in Australia (rather than, say, in Britain) was informed by Wolf's desire to develop a dew condenser. As a dry continent, Australia was likely to need alternative sources of fresh water and the Premier of South Australia
, whom he had met in London, had expressed an interest. Klaphake made a specific proposal for a condenser at the small town of Cook
where there was no supply of potable water. At Cook, the railway company had previously installed a large coal-powered active condenser, but it was prohibitively expensive to run, and it was cheaper to simply transport water. However, the Australian government turned down Klaphake's proposal and he lost interest in the project.
After the war, Klaphake married his second wife Alice with whom he had two children.
Klaphake was a chemist by training, but also excelled in other branches of the natural sciences such as physics and botany. For a while he experimented with means of obtaining water from the atmosphere. He was a gifted linguist and a student of ancient Chinese cultures and religions.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1935, where he was interred as an enemy alien
Enemy alien
In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...
from 1940 to 1944. He died in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1967.
Early life
Klaphake was born on 5 March 1900 in ZeitzZeitz
Zeitz is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Weiße Elster, in the middle of the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.-History:...
, a small town in south-eastern Germany.
Klaphake's father, Josef Klaphake, was the director of the local abattoir; he died when Klaphake was just one year old. Klaphake, moved to Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
with his mother and his sister where he grew up. He was 2.03 metres (6.7 ft) tall, lean, with fair (later grey) hair and blue eyes. Most of the few surviving photographs depict an earnest-looking man.
After a brief period with an artillery regiment in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, he returned to Leipzig to attend university. He obtained a doctorate in 1923 and moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to work as a chemist.
Life in Germany
Klaphake successfully worked as chemist in Berlin during the 1920s and 30s. During this time, he was inspired by the works of MaimonidesMaimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
, a Spaniard who wrote in Arabic about 1,000 years ago and who mentioned the use of water condensers or Air wells
Air well (condenser)
An air well or aerial well is a structure or device that collects water by promoting the condensation of moisture from air. Designs for air wells are many and varied, but the simplest designs are completely passive, require no external energy source and have few, if any, moving parts.Three...
in Palestine. Kalphake went on to test several forms of air wells in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and on Vis Island
Vis (island)
Vis is the most outerly lying larger Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, and is part of the Central Dalmatian group of islands, with an area of 90.26 km² and a population of 3,617 . Of all the inhabited Croatian islands, it is the farthest from the coast...
in the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
.
Klaphake experimented with a very simple design: an area of mountain slope was cleared and smoothed with a watertight surface with a simple canopy supported by pillars or ridges. The sides of the structure were closed, but the top and bottom edges were left open. At nights, the mountain slope would cool and in the day moisture would collect on and run down the smoothed surface. Although the system apparently worked, it was expensive and Klaphake finally adopted a more compact design based on a masonry structure. This design was a sugarloaf-shaped building, about 15 metres (49.2 ft) high, with walls at least 2 metres (6.6 ft) thick, with holes on the top and at the bottom. The outer wall is made of concrete to give a high thermal capacity and the inner surface was made of a porous material such as sandstone. According to Klaphake:
Traces of Klaphake's condensers have been tentatively identified.
In 1933, the Nazi Party assumed power in the aftermath of decline of the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
.
Klaphake was an individualist and quietly antagonistic towards the Nazi regime, but he kept his views to himself and he was not much troubled directly by the authorities. However, his wife Maria who was from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
was the subject of Nazi suspicion because she was a trained sexual psychologist
Sexology
Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behavior, and function. The term does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sex, such as political analysis or social criticism....
who had been associated with an institute for sexual reform in Berlin. The Klaphakes' flat in Berlin was twice raided by the secret police. Maria was physically – and perhaps sexually – assaulted.
In 1935, Klaphake and his wife Maria emigrated to Australia, living at first in Melbourne and then moving to Sydney the following year. Klaphake worked first as a consultant chemist, and then for Industrial Microbiology Pty Ltd. This company was set up to fund Klaphake's research and then exploit the inventions he would make.
Klaphakes' decision to emigrate was probably primarily the result of Maria's encounters with the German secret police; their decision to settle in Australia (rather than, say, in Britain) was informed by Wolf's desire to develop a dew condenser. As a dry continent, Australia was likely to need alternative sources of fresh water and the Premier of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, whom he had met in London, had expressed an interest. Klaphake made a specific proposal for a condenser at the small town of Cook
Cook, South Australia
Cook is a railway station and crossing loop on the standard gauge Trans-Australian Railway from Adelaide to Perth, with no inhabited places around.-History:...
where there was no supply of potable water. At Cook, the railway company had previously installed a large coal-powered active condenser, but it was prohibitively expensive to run, and it was cheaper to simply transport water. However, the Australian government turned down Klaphake's proposal and he lost interest in the project.
Life in Australia
From 1940 to 1944, Klaphake was interned in the Orange, Tatura and Loveday camps. He considered his internment to be grossly unjust, but he remained in Australia and he applied for naturalisation soon after his release. He was naturalised in 1946.After the war, Klaphake married his second wife Alice with whom he had two children.
Klaphake was a chemist by training, but also excelled in other branches of the natural sciences such as physics and botany. For a while he experimented with means of obtaining water from the atmosphere. He was a gifted linguist and a student of ancient Chinese cultures and religions.