OPDERBECK Emil

Emil Albert Wilhelm OPDERBECK was born in Haldern (north of Duisburg). He studied engineering and came to Esch sur Alzette around 1905 (?) to work in the steel industry (Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-Akt.-Ges). His presence in Luxembourg is documented for the first time in 1911, in connection with a train accident on 12 March 1911:

Esch an der Alzette – Am gestrigen Samstag morgen gegen 9 Uhr fuhren, wahrscheinlich infolge des herrschenden Nebels, auf der Verbindungsbahn zwischen der Aachener- und der Adolf-Emil-Hütte bei einer Verzweigung der Geleise zwei Lokomotiven aufeinander. Der Anprall war ein gewaltiger, und um Haaresbreite wäre die eine Maschine die Böschung heruntergefallen. Der auf der einen der beiden Maschinen stehende Ingenieur Opderbeck erlitt Verletzungen am Kopfe, der Maschinist solche am rechten Beine. Der Materialschaden ist ein bedeutender.

In the same year (1911) Emil OPDERBECK obtained his first patent.
He was married to Eleonore (Lore) VIEHOEVER (of German origin), and the couple had two children, born in Esch sur Alzette, in 1909 and 1913.
While residing in Luxembourg, OPDERBECK joined the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure in 1913 (Moselbezirks-Verein). He lived in Deutsch-Other-Strasse n° 84, in Esch sur Alzette.
During his stay in Luxembourg from around 1905 to 1919 he made 4 inventions which he had patented in his own name, except one for which Max ZILLGEN was his co-inventor.
In 1919 he left Luxembourg for Gelsenkirchen where he became Oberingenieur in the Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-Akt.-Ges.
From 1920 to 1925 he made 17 inventions for which he obtained patents. All these inventions, except one (DE365661, Kugelfangspiel) relate to apparatus and processes to be used in the steel industry.
OPDERBECK also published articles in the technical press such as:

Abwasserreinigung und Klärschlammbeseitigung bei Hochofenwerken
(Verein Deutscher Eisenhüttenleute. Hochofenausschuss: Bericht des Hochofenausschusses des Vereins Deutscher Eisenhüttenleute; 1914, Nr. 32)

Emil OPDERBECK’s eldest son Fritz, born in Esch sur Alzette, became a chemical engineer and obtained in 1837 a doctorate at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Bonn.
It is not known when and where Emil OPDERBECK died.

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