The Portland daily press., 1895-10-25
A DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.
The Buildings of Charles E. Cobb Are
Destroyed.

1t Is Thought That a Tramp Set the Fire
and Died in the Flames-Horses and
Cattle Perished.
There was a very destructive fire in the
Rocky Hill district in Westbrook last
night. About g. Is Mr.. Charles 6. Cobb
noticed bright light, and glanclng In
the direction of his barn saw that 1t was
a fire. He went to the barn at once and
tried to get out his stock but found that
they were already suffocated by the
smoke. He went back to the house and
alarmed his family who had only time
to escape in their night clothes. The
entire set of buildings was soon mass
of flames and was burned to the ground.
Mr., Cobb estimates the loss at $500 and
had about $4,000 insurance. lie lost 10
COWS, 8 horses, 35 tons Of hay, all OF his
wagons, farming tools, etc, and also the
wagons used on his milk route. The
damage to his business will be heavy.
He lost all his furniture, nothing being
saved except his book case and Mrs.
Cobb's piano. Mr.. Cobb and his brother
were the only ones who were up in the
house at the time the fire was discov-
cred, and the other members of the fami-
ly did not succeed in even saving their
clothing. The fire crossed from the barn
and out buildings to the house like a
race horse, - as one man said, and in less
than Is minutes after it was discovered
the entire set of buildings had been
reached and practically consumed. The
fire was intensely hot, and the barn and
contents was left only a mass of ashes.
The animals were entirely consumed
They did not suffer much, as the thick
smoke ended their liyss long before the
fire reached them. Mr.. Cobb is we'll
known school teacher, and for about two
wears had run this milk farm. He had
a very pleasant home and took great
deal of pride in his attractive set OF
buildings
1t seemed at least possible last evening
that the fire might have been acciden-
tally set by tramp, and that the tramp
might have perished. No one had been
to the farm so far as Mr.. Cobb is in
formed, for some two hours and half be-
fore he noticed the fire, but a neighbor
stated after the fire that late in the af-
ternoon he noticed a stranger, evidently
tramp, hanging about the place, and
it is thought that he might have gono
to sleep in the hay, and that the fire
was Ecaused by his pipe. The fact that
Mr.. Cobb found the barn doors closed
would seem to show that if this theory
is correct he did not escape alive. Mr..
Cobb tried to save one of his horses, but
found that he was too late, showing that
the fire must have been started some
time before and had worked it's way
through the building. If a tramp did go
to.sleep while smoking, his bones are
somewhere under the ruins, and it is diff
cult to account for the fire except by
some such theory.
The heat was so great that after the
fire broke though the sides of the barn, it
was pactically out of the question to go
near it, and those who gathered were
forced to let the furniture go with the
house. All that was left standing was
one small outbuilding. Mr.. Cobb is at
a total loss to account for the fire unless
it was the work of a tramp. Two men
employed about the place lost all
their personal effects.