Carl Gerlinger, Sr. was an American

businessperson A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

in the early 20th century. A cousin of notable lumberman George T. Gerlinger, Carl was born in on March 28, 1878, to George and Matline Gerlinger in Neuwiller-les-Saverne, Alsace-Lorraine

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He was raised in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 1901, Carl went to the US as an engineer aboard a

Hamburg-American Line The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent citi ...

ship. When it docked in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, Carl was taken to the Tacoma Hospital suffering from malaria.

Louis Gerlinger, Sr. Louis Gerlinger Sr. (25 January 1853 – 9 June 1941)Obituary published in ''The Historical Oregonian'', June 10, 1941 was a businessperson in the railroad and timber industries in the U.S. state of Oregon in the early 20th century. Gerlinger beca ...

, Carl's uncle, persuaded Carl to make his home in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. There he worked for the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Co. (OWR&N). In 1902, Carl moved to Dallas, Oregon, to work for the Salem, Falls City and Western Railway (SFC&W) owned by his uncle Louis.Starner, D Earl. ''A Pictorial History of the Straddle Carrier''. Lowell, Oregon: Vidagraph Publications. 1988. 48p.Baldwin, Cathrine A. ''Making the Most of the Best: Willamette Industries' Seventy-Five Years''. Portland, Oregon: Willamette Industries. 1982. 172p.OCLC 8734832 In 1908, while working in the roundhouse on a steam boiler, it exploded. His brother August Gerlinger was killed and several others were injured. Carl lost his left arm. He also temporarily lost his sight. He was laid up for over a year until he regained his sight. He decided to concentrate on inventing. Among his inventions are the oil distributor, oil retort and spark arrestors for locomotives. Working for the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

(which had purchased the SFC&W once owned by Carl's uncle), he was quickly promoted and was the general foreman of the shops at Dallas). In 1918, Gerlinger, a gifted

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

and business leader, invested his savings into Ed Biddlle's Dallas Iron Works. A year later it became Dallas Machine & Locomotive Works which employed a dozen men. Business expanded quickly from manufacturing logging and railroad equipment. In 1920 they rebuilt nine locomotives and twelve in 1923. Next came the Gerlinger Carrier, a machine that could load and unload lumber. This business led to the Gerlinger Carrier Company, a manufacturer of both straddle carriers and forklift trucks. The company eventually merged with Towmotor and

Caterpillar Tractor Caterpillars ( ) are the larva, larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterfly, butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawfly ...

in the 1950s. In the 1970s, the business returned to family control. Today, the carriers are manufactured in nearby

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

, by G.C.C., Inc., which is controlled by one of Carl's descendants, and run by Mark Lyman and Ron Lyman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerlinger, Carl Businesspeople from Oregon People from Dallas, Oregon 1878 births Year of death missing French emigrants to the United States