Holy Cross ... "and know you know THE REST of the story ... Good day"

[Fordham]

So I'm riding home yesterday and while flipping through stations I hear someone say something about Holy Cross football in it. It ends up being the guy standing in for Paul Harvey for the day and he's recounting a great story about the 1942 game where a 4-4 Holy Cross team whooped the top ranked BC team 55 - 12, thus knocking them out of what I think was supposed to be a Sugar Bowl invite and an expected 2nd national championship in 3 years.

So, what's "the rest of the story"?

Well, I guess that BC had gotten a little ahead of themselves and decided to schedule their post game party on that Saturday night to celebrate another undefeated season. After losing, they canceled their reservations at The Cocoanut Grove night club that ended up having a deadly fire that killed 492 patrons that night. The loss, quite literally, likely saved the lives of the entire BC football team. "And now you know THE REST of the story."


PS - a little research not only confirmed the story, but also gave an idea as to how the Paul Harvey show picked up on it - Here (http://www.holycross.edu/departments/publicaffairs/hcm/04win/features/feature3.html). Apparently there is a new book out about the rivalry between the two schools that has recently been released. Good stuff.

[Marcus Garvey]

Oh yeah, I've heard that story. In New England, it's almost become myth. However, those not familiar with New England football are likely unaware of it.

That fire was significant for another reason. The fire spread very rapidly because of the many highly flamable paper maché decorations in the club. The club also only had one exit/entrance, which was the front. The speed with which the fire spread and the crush of people, all of whom were tyring to use the same escape rout, led to the high death toll. The same thing happened at that Great White show in Rhode Island a couple of years ago. As a result of the carnage, cities began enacting building codes to require emergency exits and regulate substances that could spread a fire easily.

[JoltinJoe]

Oh yeah, I've heard that story. In New England, it's almost become myth. However, those not familiar with New England football are likely unaware of it.

That fire was significant for another reason. The fire spread very rapidly because of the many highly flamable paper maché decorations in the club. The club also only had one exit/entrance, which was the front. The speed with which the fire spread and the crush of people, all of whom were tyring to use the same escape rout, led to the high death toll. The same thing happened at that Great White show in Rhode Island a couple of years ago. As a result of the carnage, cities began enacting building codes to require emergency exits and regulate substances that could spread a fire easily.

I'm aware of the story, because of the legal issues involved. The Cocoanut Grove case is widely published in tort casebooks used in America's law schools. The notes to the case in the text we used referenced the cancelled BC victory party, citing that the death toll could have been significantly worse if the BC team and its supporters had been in the club at the time.

[Fordham]

Oh yeah, I've heard that story. In New England, it's almost become myth. However, those not familiar with New England football are likely unaware of it.

That fire was significant for another reason. The fire spread very rapidly because of the many highly flamable paper maché decorations in the club. The club also only had one exit/entrance, which was the front. The speed with which the fire spread and the crush of people, all of whom were tyring to use the same escape rout, led to the high death toll. The same thing happened at that Great White show in Rhode Island a couple of years ago. As a result of the carnage, cities began enacting building codes to require emergency exits and regulate substances that could spread a fire easily.
that RI fire brings some sad, horrific images to mind.

[Husky Alum]

I took a class at NU called "The History of Boston" (believe it or not, it was a GREAT class, taught by the President of the Boston Historical Society - a tenured NU professor) and I took out my class notes from the class since we spent some time on the "Grove" fire and here are some things that arose as a result of the fire..

1. Lighted exit signs at all exit doors

2. Posted maximum occupancy signs

3. Exit/emergency doors must swing outward

4. Emergency lighting

5. If a building in Boston has a revolving door (as the Grove did), there must be "Regular" swinging doors on at least one sides of the revolving door in case of an emergency.

6. No establishment in Boston can call itself the "Cocoanut Grove" or "Coconut Grove", per order of City Hall.

7. The owner of the club was convicted of 19 counts of manslaughter.

Ironically, a new short book has just been published about the fire, titled "The Cocoanut Grove Fire" by Stephanie Schorow. Here's a link.

http://www.commonwealtheditions.com/productdetails.cfm?SKU=P087

The site of the Grove is now where the Radisson Hotel in Boston stands.

[bkrownd]

the death toll could have been significantly worse if the BC team and its supporters had been in the club at the time.

Both of them? :D (I know, I know...bad boy... :spank: )

[Marcus Garvey]

6. No establishment in Boston can call itself the "Cocoanut Grove" or "Coconut Grove", per order of City Hall.


Interesting... do you know what the logic was behind that order?