LIERNUR Charles

Hermann Carl Anton Thieme LIERNUR was born in Haarlem on 12 May 1828.
In 1848, at the age of 20, he emigrated to Mobile, Alabama (USA), where he worked as engineer in the construction of the Alabama railway and other major construction projects. When the Civil War broke out in the USA he joined the Confederate Army in 1861. Around 1863, however, he was virtually financially ruined, and looked for ways to return to Europe with his family. He finally managed to leave the US in 1865 and settled first in London, then in Haarlem for a few years, and later in Frankfurt, Prag and Berlin.
Back in Europe, LIERNUR used the titles of “Captain” and “American Engineer” to boost his status. He did indeed hold US citizenship, but he was a self-taught “civil engineer”. Altogether, he made a remarkable career and his 1866 invention for a “sewage disposal system” was a great success.
Friedrich Karl KREPP was his business partner and promotor of this invention. KREPP wrote a booklet on LIERNUR’s system and gave conferences on the merits of the system (see Addendum).
LIERNUR and KREPP founded the company LIERNUR-KREPP & Cie.
Charles LIERNUR died in Berlin in 1892.

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