George Curtis Merritt
Feb. 11, 1883- Nov. 23, 1940
Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Monday, November 25, 1940, page 1, col. 8; Continued page 2, col. 1
WORKMAN KILLED IN DITCH CAVE-IN ON MICHIGAN ST.
Victim Smothers as Walls Collapse; Buried Under 18 Inches of Clay
Killed Saturday in cave-in of a water-line trench, George C. Merritt, 57, of 1517 Michigan street, will be buried Tuesday in Silverbrook cemetery after rites at 2 in the Rutherford funeral home.
The Rev. Harry Barnett, pastor of the Full Gospel Assembly, will conduct the service.
Merritt was suffocated late Saturday—probably about 4:30—beneath 18 inches of clay when the walls gave way as he worked alone in a seven-foot-deep ditch, laying water pipes into the home of A.N. Cochrane, 1535 Michigan street.
Discovered at 5 P.M.
The accident was discovered at 5 o'clock when his grandson went to Cochrane's to call Merritt for his evening meal.
Cochrane, told of the cave-in, started shovelling to locate Merritt while police, the fire department's pulmotor squad and an ambulance were called.
Despite belief that Merritt was dead when taken from the ditch, firemen used the pulmotor until the ambulance reached Pawating hospital. There physicians pronounced the victim dead.
Native of Niles
Merritt, a laborer at Silverbrook cemetery, was born here Feb. 11, 1883, and had lived here all his life.
He was married in 1907 to Hazel Kizer, who died in 1910, and again in 1917 to Mrs. Martha Cook, who survives.
Other survivors are his mother, Mrs. Sarah Merritt, Niles; a son, Arthur Merritt, south Bend; three stepchildren, Thomas Cook,with the U.S. Army in Hawaii; Silver Cook, Grand Rapids, and Mrs. Katie Scheittecatte, Mishawaka; two sisters, Mrs. Arthur Thompson and Mrs. Sadie Ray, Niles; a brother, Frank W. Merritt, Niles; the grandson and six step-grandchildren.
Another sister, Mrs. George Huff, died in March.