1918 — Jan 12, Fire, Boys dorm., Dwight Indian Mission School, Marble City, OK — 13
–13 Anniston Star, AL. “Thirteen Indian Boys Are Burned,” 1-13-1918, p. 1, col. 5.
–13 McCulley. “Dwight Mission fire of 1918 remembered.” Sequoyah County Times, 2018.
Narrative Information
McCulley: “….Jan. 12, 2018, marks the 100th anniversary of the fire at Dwight Mission School….
“On a cold winter night on Jan. 12, 1918, sometime around 2:30 a.m., a fire broke out on the first floor of the Sleeping Boys Dormitory at Dwight Mission Indian School killing 13 Indian boys ranging in ages nine to 17, who were sleeping on the second floor of the two-story wooden building.
“Reports from articles printed during that time indicate that by the time the fire was discovered, the whole building was engulfed in flames and students on the second floor, where the greatest loss of life occurred, were trapped by flames.
“The second floor included a big screened in porch divided into four sections. The only stairway leading from it was blocked by flames when the fire was discovered forcing the boys who escaped to jump from the second floor onto the ground which was covered in snow and ice.
“Dwight Mission, which is presently a camp and conference center, is located about eight miles north of Sallisaw near Marble City….
“The fire had occurred on one of the most severe nights in Sequoyah County with temperatures plummeting to 15 below zero and snow and ice covering the ground. It was reported the fire could not be extinguished because the water was frozen….
“Out of all the names inscribed on the monument, which was later erected by the Women’s Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. as a memorial for the fire victims, Nighthawk McLemore is one of the most popular…
“Delbert Barnes, another victim, whose name in some old articles is spelled “Dilbert” was 14 years old when he died in the fire….
“Newton [Goings], lost his life… after having been overcome by smoke.
“ ‘…youthful heroes lost their lives in the fire. They were Phillip Correll and Wilson Beaver. They were asleep on the second floor of the dormitory and had plenty of time to make their escape. Instead of doing so, however, they ran through the room arousing the other sleepers and saved their companions instead. It is believed these boys made an effort to extinguish the fire. This theory is advanced because the fire extinguishers which were located in the north end of the second floor were found in the ruins in the south end where the fire came up the stairway from the first floor.’….
“The newspaper described the building which housed the boys to be 40×90 feet and had only been erected three years prior to the fire. It was heated with a furnace and wood was used as fuel. ‘It is the opinion of the school authorities that a stick of burning wood rolled upon the floor and fired the building,’ The Westville Record reported in their paper….
“Since none could be identified, the 13 victims were buried in one grave which is located near the central area of the cemetery on Dwight Mission grounds….” (McCulley, Lynn. “Dwight Mission fire of 1918 remembered.” Sequoyah County Times, Sallisaw, OK. 2018.)
Newspaper
Jan 12: “Marble City, Okla., Jan 12.–The death toll of the fire which destroyed the boys’ dormitory at the Dwight Indian Mission school near here early today was fixed at 13 tonight. All were Indian boys from 9 to 17 years old. Three others were injured in jumping from windows. The fire is believed to have started from an overheated stove. Eleven bodies have been recovered, thirty-two others in the dormitory escaped.” (Anniston Star, AL. “Thirteen Indian Boys Are Burned,” 1-13-1918, p. 1, col. 5.)
Sources
Anniston Star, AL. “Thirteen Indian Boys Are Burned,” 1-13-1918, p. 1, col. 5. Accessed 9-6-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/anniston-star-jan-13-1918-p-1/
McCulley, Lynn. “Dwight Mission fire of 1918 remembered.” Sequoyah County Times, Sallisaw, OK. 2018. Accessed 9-6-2018 at: https://www.sequoyahcountytimes.com/news/centennial-marks-memory-dwight-mission-tragedy