The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-05-21
MANS SKULL IS
FRACTURED WHEN
PUMP PIPE SLIPS
w. E. LEACH, WELL KNOWN
RETIRED FARMER DIES AS
RESULT OF INJURIES

An accident which happened Tues
day morning at about ten o'clock on
the farm owned by Fred Boyer a
mile east of the city caused the
death of William + Leach. aged 50
years, a retired Orleans township
farmer. at the city hispital at z
o'clock this morning, nearly % hours
after the time he received his injury
during which time he never regained
consciousness.
Mr.. Leach, together with Fred
Boyer. repairman at the Smith &
Whitney shoe store. owner of the
farm and Merton Smith. had driven
out to the farm for the purpose of
raising a pump in a we'll which had
been bcthering of late and had the
work well under way and was laugh
ing and joking with Mr.. Smith about
falling in the well>head first when
the accident took place. Mr.. Boyer
was working on one side of the well,
using piece of iron pipe for pry-
ing lever with a chain attached to
the end and Mr.. Leach was working
on the opposite side with similar
device. Mr.. Boyer would raise the
pipe up while Mr.. Leach was getting
his lever and chain set for new
hold and in this way had the pipe
raised a distance of several feet.
Neither one of the men who were
with him seem to know just how the
accident occurred but it must be that
Mr.. Boyer's chain slipped and allow
ed the pipe to go down with full
force until the chain on the end of
Mr.. Leach's lever struck joint in
the pipe, This would be, the only
.1.xx l. IL.
could be swung upward with suffici-
it did. When the lever flew upward
it went right on ever and brushed
Mr.. Boyer's hat off and scraped the
side of his face.
The men gave immediate attention
to Mr.. Leach and DIR. Stanton was
on the scene not more than ten min
utes later and the injured man was
taken to the local hospital where
Drs. Bower, cf Greenville and DIR.
r. R Smith. of Grand Rapids attend
ed him No hopes were held out for
him from the first as the blow had
been of such force that the entire
right side Of his face had been crush
ed and the skull fractured so that
there was no hopes of his recovering,
Mr.. Leach had taken the place Of
another man who had planned on 60
ing out and helping on the job but
who later on decided to go to Grand
Rapids. 1t was in his usual light
hearted way that he Jokingly went
to lend helping hand. He died just
as he had lived-a good fellow thru
and thru and with his passing his
legion of friends will mourn the loss
of good and honest mana friend
in need and friend all the time.
Mr. Leach for many years was en-
gagged in farming south and east of
the city, but about six weeks ago
sold his farm tnd took up his resi-
dence as a retired farmer. and to take
things easy for a few years, in
house where himself and wife were
comfortably settled at the corner of
Bridge and Washington stneets.
Tuesday morning he left homie to
go down town and Mrs. Leach knew
nothing of his injury until apprised
that he was at the hospital.
He is survived by his widow and
three sons. Ernest, of the Brink
neighborhood; Vern, of Smyrna and
Frank, of Grand Rapids.
Funeral at the Baptist church. Fri
day afternoon at two o'clock Rev
w. A. Bliss officiating and burial will
be made in River ridge cemetery.