Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....LETT, Howard   1920 November 8, 1920
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Pat Blood pat.blood@gmail.com May 24, 2011, 2:28 am

Belding Banner News – Thursday, 10 November 1920
BIG GRAVEL PIT CAVE IN CLAIMS YOUNG MANS LIFE
Warned Of Danger But Paid No Heed And Was Caught In Slide

The caving in of a gravel pit on the John Jewell place in Orleans Township, 
Tuesday, snuffed out the life of Howard Lett.  He with Dell Buck was in the 
pit loading gravel while shoveling, the earth above Mr. Lett began caving and 
in spite of a warning of danger by Mr. Buck the unfortunate man was covered to 
a depth of four feet with loose sand and gravel.

The accident happened about 2:30 o’clock in the afternoon and it was fully an 
hour before the lifeless body was extracted.  The heavy weight of earth had 
confined him in the pit face down causing suffocation.  Other workmen from a 
nearby pit assisted in the work which was retarded by a continual pouring in 
of loose gravel and fine sand.

Justice of the Peach, E. B. Lapham, and Deputy Sheriff Chas. Murray were 
called and an inquest was held at the house of John Jewell, where the body was 
taken, a verdict being returned by the jurors, Don Dean, W. A. Dutt, Hiram 
hall, W. j. Moore, Adelbert Buck and Mate Johnson, that he came to his death 
accidently in a gravel pit cave in by suffocation.

Howard Lett was a colored man about 19 years old and for several years has 
lived with Mr. Jewell and recently has been working on the gravel roads in 
Orleans.  His father resides in Grand Haven.  The body was taken in charge by 
undertaker Ben Friedly.

Lett had just started in on the gravel pit job that morning.




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