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Show ,. \ .' FIRE! EXTRA 1 ST .. CHftIS~PHER 'S I.:ISSION TO THE }iAVAliO: BLUFF) - U'rAH. hlY·8',: 1950 ( , . " ( -.sToRr J3Y ' r/1rile~ eot'E.:'L1-IQ) , , , SOl1cbo4y should have shouted., ~ PIRB II, because it was not ,rhat was said' 'btlt ~he urgen , cY ,in voices :;l!.ut l.ed us to , look toward,the~.run to, the Missj,on. It was around 8:30, ' ~Iu st after mass, on Tuesda1', ·the 27th Jun~, \',hen , smoke was , noticed curling up over th~ Mission • . CUrio,si ty turned to dismay when it, was reali zed the smoke was not from tl+e kitchen chimney, and dismay turned to alarm as the smoke thickened to a .- heavy black pall. By 'the time one cove~ed the distance from the cabin to the ( l-.iission, flames were shooting out of the 10 longer occupied end of the • Ea,st Wing; people VIere running to the scene from all directions. , Even .then, the gravity of the situation was not fully realized. By the tfl1ie a futile at t empt had' been made , to , sprfnkle the fire ,in the end room, flames had roared along the roof arid down · the whole length of the East Wing. And by thi s time the fumes from the medical supplies and tar-paper on the roof were suffocating, a~d the heat from the wing so intense that the We st. Wing v;i.gas were beginning to ' ,burn and flames were licld,ng at . the door Gnd , wi ndow of , the Common Room. - 60 that ' it was now nece s sa.ry, to co:ncentre.te all e~fort in" sav1n$ " th~ IUs'sion proper from ,total d'3v 8.st9..t i on . by this time, too, the people from Blurt were raCing , in, in response to the alarum raised qy the Grothe (of' Martinez, C~lif") who had dropped in ,to see the Uission' - and they Joined the Navaho in· saving furriiture, books, ' foods, 'files a.nd records, ' and whatever else could be moved. 'There' was an attemp t to 'save some of the things in the ,East Wing, but this was stopped by leaping flames and the innninent danger ,of ammumition stored f.n Father Liebler's closet exploding~ So - the entire wing was lbst. . , ' ( This ' me ant tha~ five beds, with bedding, and the blankets distribute to Navaho staying in the vicinity overnight, were burned; that the clin1 'is gone, with the medical records, supplies and equipment, so new and so needed; that Catherine Pickett, who ,was packing to go on vacation xhe next day, lost everything; that Helen Sturges lost ~ot only her clothing and personal ~ff~~ts' b'l.:t-t Navaho jewelry and all the anapshots , she's taken 'since the Mission was founded; that Fc..ther' Liebler lost not· only hE clothing, his r i fles, movie camera, the che.lice sent in response to an ( earlier appeal, but treasured books and' the work of the past seven years in ,Navaho; that the Christmas Creche Vias burned; that clothing, boots aI': shoes, that new supplies from a generous di~c,ese, ' were destroyed. The damage done and l 'osses received are just being fully realized. " A week has gone by,. 'l"here are many guesses 'how the fire started, how it could have sto.rted, in an unused room or passa.geway - but none can be proved. All we know is that two or three frantic hours left us wi th ashe s r-.nd uGly, blackened [I.nd crUJnbling walls. But we are thankful no one washurtj that our supply of water, 4~O gallons, held out until a tankful of water and a truckful of sand came up from Bluff; tha.t so much was saved; for the help gi'ven us by our Navaho and white friends - from 11 ttle Clarence, aged five, Vii th tubercu; I.osis, to Great-Grandmother, aged 82, who must use a cane when she , walks .. who ca.rried thi !"gs from the building. And we are thankful to our good friends allover the country who are already sending in clothes and money as the news of the fire spreads, so that 'the work her( ma:r 'P ""0 r-rc ''is a.nd not be held back by the dise.st~H •• , ~ ' \ J |
