EIRE IN CHESHIRE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 825, 1 February 1868, Page 3

EIRE IN CHESHIRE.

A WHOLE FAMILY BURNED TO DEATH. A special edition of the Warrington Guardian describes the death of Edward Cook, his wife, and four children, by a fire at Middlewicb, in Cheshire. It occurred in a solitary farm-house in the neighbourhood of Nantwich, occupied by Mr Cook, his wife, four children, three male servants, and two females. Mrs Cook was up late on Saturday nigbt ironing some linen, and she left the clothes-horse full of clothes before a blazing fire, in the kitchen. A man servant, who slept on the premises, came down about four o’clock to see what time it was, and saw the “ house place” inflames. He managed to get to a room occupied by a servant maid, whom he awoke. The master, hearing the alarm, came down the stairs leading to the kitchen from the apartment where he slept, but either from the fact of the smoke overpowering him, or from a thought of those he had left behind, he rushed back upstairs, and nothing more was seen of him. Two servant lads escaped. One of the girls who slept in the same part of the house as her master and mistress, got on the sill of one of the windows. Mrs Cooke, with a baby a few weeks old, tried to stop the girl, exclaiming she would be killed. The girl persisted in jumping out, and so saved her life. The man-servant, in the meantime, who had first given the alarm, had procured a ladder, which was placed against the house. He endeavoured to get to his master’s room, and broke the window. He heard a cry from hit mistress, but, owing to the flames and smoke, was unable to render any assistance. On a search being made among the blackened ruins, it appeared that such had been the violence of the fire that scarcely any trace of human remains could be found for some hours afterwards. Eventually, portions were found of, it is supposed, four of the bodies —viz., those of Mr and Mrs Cooke, the nursemaid, and one of the children. Seven lives have been lost in all.