Detroit, Michigan, USA
1887 - Death In The Flames

Detroit, Mich., Aug. 31. - The livery barn of J.H. COLES, No. 151 Gratiot Avenue, burned this morning with all its contents.

George S. HALL, a farmer from near Mt. Clemens, 65 years old, perished in the flames, and his son Henry HALL, about 20 years old, and a farmer named John PEARSEAL, barely escaped. They jumped from the second story, sustaining only a general shaking up.

Fifteen horses, several wagons, and a large lot of hay and grain were consumed. Coles' was the stopping place for many of the farmers who came in from the north, and it was their practice, after seeing their horses cared for, to go into the loft, spread a blanket on the hay, and sleep there. The fire is thought to have been of incendiary origin as there never was any fire or light used in that part of the barn. A policeman saw a man go into the building a few minutes before the fire broke out. Loss about $6,000; insurance small.

Inter Ocean
Chicago, Illinois
September 1, 1887

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