Fire At The Cocoanut Grove

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The Cocoanut Grove was a premier nightclub in the Bay Village area of Boston, Massachusetts. This was not long after prohibition had been repealed and America was once again thirsty for alcoholic beverages and some good times. The citizens were looking for some escape from war news since World War II was raging at the time and dominating radio and newspapers throughout the country.

The Cocoanut Grove had opened back in 1927 through a partnership between two big band leaders, Mickey Alpert and Jacques Renard. However, neither of these men held an interest in the club by 1942 at the time of the fire.

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I wrote much of this blog. But a good amount of it was taken from the Wikipedia website.

Angelo Lippi, the maitre d' of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, poses in the main dining room.

Melody Lounge bar in the Cocoanut Grove night club.

Ray West & His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra.

Singer Harry Belafonte Performing.

Harry Belafonte.

The Night of the Fire ~

Large groups of patrons flocked to the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub at 17 Piedmont Street every evening to drink, eat and be entertained. The club had gotten a reputation as beinga hangout for gangsters. Some went to see if they might spot one of the nortorious figures mingling.

At the time of the fire, the club was owned by gangland lawyer, Barnet "Barney" Welansky. Barney was a hard boos. He hired teenagers as busboys, many who were underage to work in a liquor establishment. These young boys worked for very low pay. He also maintained a staff of street thugs that worked as waiters and bouncers. Welensky locked many of the exits doors and covered others with large drapes to conceal them. He had had problems with a few customers scarfing out without paying their bills. He even went so far as to brick up one exit.

On the evening of November 28, 1942, at around 10:15 pm one of the staff noticed that a light bulb was loosened fromj a socket in the Melody Lounge in the downstairs area. This part of the club was dark. It was lit only by dim lights that were in coconut-designed sconces. It was said that a soldier had reached up and unscrewed one of the lightbulbs so he and his date could have some privacy for kissing.

Pianist and singer, Goody Goodelle was performing on the revolving stage. The stage was surrounded by fake palm trees. A 16-year old busboy named, Stanley Tomaszewski was told to turn the light back on. The young man had to pull over a chair and climb onto it to reach the light fixture but could not see it in the darkened corner. He lit a match to get a little light. He noticed that the bulb had been unscrewed so he screwed it back in place and the light came on. He then extinguished the match, some saying he dropped it to the floor and stepped on it.

Only seconds later, witnesses claimed they saw flames by the ceiling on one wall. Even though Tomaszewski had put the match out at this area, the official report would state that there was no evidence that the match was connected to the fire. The police report said the fire was of "unknown origin".

Despite the efforts of several waiters who tried todouse the flames with water, it spread quickly along the ceiling edge and into the artificial palm trees and other decorations. These items were made mostly of fabric and paper.

Stanley Tomaszewski, the bus boy suspected of starting the fire. Photo: Nov. 30, 1942.

Clouds of smoke are seen on Shawmut Street side of the club.

The waiters desperately attempted to pull t he burning decorations away from the false ceiling that had been covered with fabric. A panel of plywood came down as well and opened a section of the false ceiling. Once the ceiling was open, the flames spread quickly and customers began to get showered with sparks and burning pieces of fabric.

Flames shot up a stairwell to the main floor. Many patrons racing up these stairs had their hair burned. The orchestra was beginningtheirevening show as a large fireball came through the front entrance way and burned through other areas of the club. The fire raced through the Caricature Bar, down the hallway to the Broadway Lounge, then across the central restaurant and dance floor areas.

The fire moved faster than the customers and then there was large, thick clouds of black smoke. In the time of around five minutes, the entire club was engulfed in flames and smoke.

Some patrons were instantly overcome by smoke and died within seconds while still in their seats holding there drinks. Others tried to crawl through the darkness of the smoke to find an exit. All exits but one were non-functioning or hidden in non-public areas.

Many of the customers tried to escape through the main entrance. However, this was a revolving door and as people stampeded through it, bodies piled up on both sides of the door. Then the fire came through the revolving door and anyone who was still alive in the pile of bodies were incinerated. Firemen actually had to douse the flames just to approach the revolving door.

Side doors had been bolted shut. There was a large plate glass window but it had been boarded up and could not be used as an escape. There were a very feww unlocked doors but they all opened inward and couldn't be used because of the piles of bodies of folks who had tried to get out but failed.

Fire officials later testified that, had these dorrs opened outward,, at least 300 lives could have been saved.

Once word spread in the neighborhood about the fire, soldiers and sailors and others from other bars came racing to assist. Firemen bringing bodies out of the burning building were treated for burned hands. As the night went on, the temperature dropped. Water on brick streets froze. The firemen's water hoses froze to the ground. When the news crews arrived, their vehicles were appropriated to use as ambulances to get the injured to local hospitals. On the street, smoldering bodies, both still alive and dead were hosed down with icy water. Some of the victims had breathed in fumes that were so hot that when they got outside and inhaled the cold air, as a firemen put it, "they dropped like stones."

Later on, during the clearing of the building, firemen found some dead patrons still in their seat, holding drinks and cigarettes. They had breathed in smoke and toxic fumes so quickly that they didn't even have a chance to move.

Buck Jones ~

Famous western film star, Buck Jones had been at the Cocoanut Grove that night with Monogram Pictures producer, Scott R. Dunlap. After the blaze, Jones was discovered slumped under his table, alive but badly burned. He was rushed to the hospital but sadly died two days later. Scott Dunlap, who was hosting a party at the nightclub in honor of Jones, was also seriously injured, but survived.

Buck Jones loved kids and visited children's homes and hospitals often.

Buck Jones was a household name at that time.

Employees of the club faired much better in escaping the fire than the customers did. They knew the building's interior and were able to get to areas that the customers couldn't. Additional windows and doors were helpful in these places.

A double door across from the public entryway to the main dinning room unlocked by staff and became the only functional outside exit from the public areas.

Several members of t he band died in the fire including musical director, Bernie Fazioli. But most of them escaped backstage and through a service door that the rammed open. Bandleader, Mickey Alpert climbed out a basement window and was credited with leading several people to safety. Bass player, Jack Lesberg would go on to perform with Louis Armstrong, Sarah vaughan, Leonard Bernstein and many others before his death in 2005. There was a report that bassist, Lesberg made his own door, literally. He smashed through a wall using only his bass.

Some of the kitchen staff escaped through windows in their areas. Others were saved by taking refuge in a walk-in refrigerator and a few more by getting into iceboxes. Rescuers reached the kitchen area in about ten minutes.

Jazz musician Jack Lesberg smashed his double-bass through a wall to escape.

Coast Guardsman Clifford Johnson, of Sumner, Mo., survivor of the Cocoanut Grove disaster, released from the Boston City Hospital..

Coast Guardsman Clifford Johnson went back in no fewer than four times in search of his date who, unbeknownst to him, had safely escaped. Johnson suffered extensive third-degree burns over 55% of his body but survived the disaster, becoming the most severely burned person ever to survive his injuries at the time. After 21 months in a hospital and several hundred operations, he married his nurse and returned to his home state of Missouri. Fourteen years later he burned to death in a fiery automobile crash.

It Was a Night of Death ~

Nurses work to check if people being brought out were alive or dead. The rescuers worked so quickly that many didn't know if they were bringing out a live person or not.

A priest administers last rites to one of the victims of the tragic fire.

Military MPs and others were on hand to assist the local police and ambulance crews.

A lot of soldiers and sailors were in other bars in the area and came running to help out when they heard of the fire.

Piles of military hats and caps were found from victims of the fire asnd from those working to rescue victims who dropped their hats in the attempt.

Debris on sidewalk outside the Cocoanut Grove.

High heels and sheets of music were among the debris found on the sidewalk after the fire.

An official report revealed that the Grove had been inspected by a captain in the Boston Fire Department just 10 days before the fire and declared safe. Further, it was found that the Cocoanut Grove had not obtained any licenses for operation for several years; there were no food handlers' permits and no liquor licenses. Stanley Tomaszewski, the busboy who had been accused of starting the fire, was underage and should not have been working there. Moreover, the recent remodeling of the Broadway Lounge had been done without building permits, using unlicensed contractors.

News crew's personal cars were used for transporting victims to hospitals once the ambulances were all gone.

Workers identify victims at the morgue.

Temporary morgues were set up to store the bodies.

Friends and relatives began arriving to ID loved ones.

Coffins are built and delivered quickly to keep up with the demand.

Relatives leave a mortuary after identifying the bodies of loved ones.

Many bodies were burned so badly that relatives had a hard time seeing if they were family members or not.

Firefighters stand outside the club amid the chaos.

guest being carried to a waiting ambulance by one of the many civilians who helped police and firemen.

Nina Jane Underwood, HS grad photo. Red Cross trained Hero that helped many at fire scene.

This photo was taken within half an hour before the tragic Cocoanut Grove fire by a photographer who escaped being a probable fire victim by going out to develop the films a few minutes before the disaster. Mickey Alpert (center) was master of ceremonies. He fled the club uninjured and the other three soldiers in this photo left before the fire started.

Stanley Tomaszewski at a public hearing about the fire.

Tomaszewski, who survived the fire, later testified at the inquiry and was exonerated, as he was not responsible for the flammable decorations or the life safety code violations. He was nevertheless ostracized for much of his life because of the fire. He died in 1994.

The Boston Fire Department investigated possible causes of ignition, the rapid spread of the fire and the catastrophic loss of life. Its report reached no conclusion as to the initial cause of ignition, but attributed the rapid, gaseous spread of the fire to a buildup of carbon monoxide gas due to oxygen-deprived combustion in the enclosed space above the false ceiling of the Melody Lounge. The gas exuded from enclosed spaces as its temperature rose and ignited rapidly as it mixed with oxygen above the entryway, up the stairway to the main floor and along ceilings. The fire accelerated as the stairway created a thermal draft, and the high-temperature gas fire ignited pyroxylene (leatherette) wall and ceiling covering in the foyer, which in turn exuded flammable gas. The report also documented the fire safety code violations, flammable materials and door designs that contributed to the large loss of life.

During the 1990s, former Boston firefighter and researcher Charles Kenney discovered that a highly flammable gas refrigerant, methyl chloride, had been used as a substitute for freon, which was in short wartime supply. Kenney reported that floor plans, but not the fire investigation report, showed air-conditioning condenser units near street level on the other side of a non-structural wall from the Melody Lounge, and that these units had been serviced since the start of the war. Kenney also reported that photographic evidence indicates an origin for the fire in the wall behind the palm tree and suggested ignition of methyl chloride accelerant by an electrical failure caused by substandard wiring. Methyl chloride combustion is consistent with some aspects of the fire (reported flame colors, smell and inhalation symptoms) but requires additional explanation for ceiling-level fire as the gas is 1.7 times as dense as air. A review of Kenney's work by historical investigator John J. Deady, Sr., provides a hypothesis for the accumulation of flammable concentrations of methyl chloride in enclosed spaces near the ceiling of the Melody Lounge.

In 2012, the Boston Police Department released the transcripts of witness interviews following the fire, which are posted online. Witnesses Stanley Tomaszewski, Morris Levy, Joyce Spector, David Frechtling and Jeanette Lanzoni (Volume 1) provided accounts of the ignition of the palm decoration and ceiling in the Melody Lounge. Frechtling and Lanzoni described the start of the fire as a "flash." Tomaszewski described the spread of the fire across the ceiling as like a gasoline fire. The flame front across the ceiling was faint blue, followed by brighter flames. Witness Roland Sousa (Volume 2) stated that he was initially unconcerned about the fire because, as a regular customer of the Melody Lounge, he had seen the palm tree decorations ignite before and they were always quickly put out.

Police examine the pocketbooks of female victims in an effort to identify the owners.

Detective looking over a window in the rear of the building that was used as an escape route.

The military investigated also as so many soldiers and sailors had been at the club that night.

Barney Welansky. Owner of the Cocoanut Grove.

Barney Welansky, whose connections had allowed the nightclub to operate while in violation of the loose standards of the day, was convicted on 19 counts of manslaughter (19 victims were randomly selected to represent the dead). Welansky was sentenced to 12–15 years in prison in 1943. He served nearly four years before being quietly pardoned by Massachusetts Governor Maurice J. Tobin, who had been mayor of Boston at the time of the fire. In December 1946, ravaged with cancer, Welansky was released from Norfolk Prison, telling reporters, "I wish I'd died with the others in the fire." Nine weeks later, he was dead.

Among the ten men indicted in connection with the Cocoanut Grove fire were James Welansky (left), who with his brother, Barnett Welansky (extreme right) owned and operated the night club, and Jacob Goldfine (center), who worked as steward at the Grove. They are shown as they left state police headquarters on bail after being arrested..

Barnett 'Barney' Welansky (1896-1947), gravesite.

Hospitals Had Their Work Cut Out For Them That night ~

Red Cross rushed more than 370 units of plasma from Washington to Boston hospitals to replace supplies in the devastated area.

Wards and rooms of Boston Hospital were filled to capacity.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Boston City Hospital (BCH) received the majority (83%) of the victims from the fire; other Boston area hospitals received a total of about 30 patients: Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, Cambridge City Hospital, Kenmore Hospital, Faulkner Hospital, St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Malden Hospital, Massachusetts Memorial Hospital, Carney Hospital, and St. Margaret's Hospital. MGH took 114 burn and smoke inhalation victims, and BCH received over 300. It was estimated that one casualty arrived at BCH every 11 seconds, the greatest influx of patients to any civilian hospital in history. Both hospitals were unusually well-prepared, as medical facilities all along the eastern seaboard had drawn up emergency plans in preparation for attacks against the U.S. coast. Boston had carried out a city-wide drill only a week earlier, simulating a Luftwaffe bombing assault, with over 300 mock casualties. At MGH, a special store of emergency supplies had been stockpiled. The fire caught both hospitals at change of shift, so that a double complement of nursing and support staff was available, in addition to volunteers who flocked to the hospitals as word spread of the disaster.

Nonetheless, most patients died en route to the hospitals or shortly after arrival. Because no standardized system for triage yet existed in civilian mass casualty management in the US, precious minutes were initially wasted in attempts to revive those who were dead or dying, until teams were dispatched to select the living for treatment and direct the dead to be taken to temporary mortuaries. By Sunday morning, November 29, only 132 patients out of the 300 transported to BCH were still alive, whereas at MGH, 75 of the 114 victims had died, leaving 39 surviving patients in treatment. Of a total of 444 burn victims hospitalized after the fire, only 130 survived.

One of the first administrative decisions made at MGH was to clear the general surgery ward on the sixth floor of the White Building, and devote it entirely to victims of the Cocoanut Grove fire. All victims were housed there; strict medical isolation was maintained, and a part of the ward was set aside for dressing changes and wound care. Teams of nurses and orderlies were organized for administration of morphine, wound care, and respiratory treatments.

The aftermath of the fire saw the first major use of MGH's new blood bank, one of the area's first, established in April 1942 and stocked with 200 units of dried plasma as part of its preparations for the war. A total of 147 units of plasma were used in treating 29 patients at MGH. At BCH, where the Office of Civilian Defense had stored 500 units of plasma for wartime use, 98 patients received a total of 693 units of plasma, which included plasma donated by the US Navy, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, and the American Red Cross. The volume of plasma used in treating the victims of the Cocoanut Grove surpassed that used during the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the days following the fire, twelve hundred people donated over 3,800 units of blood to the blood bank.

Most survivors were discharged by the end of 1942, however a few patients required months of intensive care. In April, 1943, the last survivor from MGH was discharged. At BCH, the last casualty, a woman from Dorchester, MA, died in May, after five months of treatment for severe burns and internal injuries. Hospitals rendering service chose not to charge any of the patients for treatment. The American Red Cross provided financial aid to both the public and private hospitals. This was especially helpful to Boston City Hospital, given its enormous influx of patients.

The hospitals were over worked, to say the least.

Martin Sheridan, one of the 175 survivors of the Cocoanut Grove fire gave blood to the Red Cross for the rest of his life.

After the Fire ~

After the club buildings were torn down in 1944, the street map of the vicinity changed due to urban renewal, with nearby streets being renamed or built over.

The nightclub address was 17 Piedmont Street, in the Bay Village neighborhood near downtown Boston. For decades after the fire, this address was used as a parking lot. Much of the club's former footprint, including what was the main entrance, now lies under the Revere Hotel; only a portion of the club extended out to Shawmut Street. The section of Piedmont Street where the main entrance was, and Broadway which also bordered the club, now lie under the Revere Hotel. The surviving section of Shawmut Street, and a newer extension cutting through what was the club's original footprint, formerly known as Shawmut Street Extension, were renamed Cocoanut Grove Lane in 2013. In 2015, several condominium residences were constructed on the site, and designated as 25 Piedmont Street.

The Inside of the Building was a Burned Out Hull ~

Where it all began. It was this area where the busboy lit the match to fix the lightbulb.

It was strange how so many of the wooden chairs survived.

The stairwell where so many died.

Another shot of the fire's starting point.

Many patrons saw doors only to find them locked.

Mystery ~

Band members returned and actually found some of their interments unharmed. Such as this drum.

The drum was found amid the rubble, undamaged.

The Navy Duty Log for that night ~

Letter of thanks written to the U.S. Navy for their help ~

The Aftermath and Today ~

In 1993, the Bay Village Neighborhood Association installed a memorial plaque in the sidewalk next to the location where the club formerly stood:

In memory of the more than 490 people who died in the Cocoanut Grove fire on November 28, 1942. As a result of that terrible tragedy, major changes were made in the fire codes, and improvements in the treatment of burn victims, not only in Boston but across the nation. "Phoenix out of the Ashes. This plaque crafted by Anthony P. Marra, youngest survivor of the Cocoanut Grove fire."

The plaque has been moved several times, to some controversy. A committee has been formed to build a more substantial memorial.

Memorial plaque in the sidewalk near the site of the fire.

The area as it is today.

In Closing ~

Barnet “Barney” Welansky’s stealthy ties to the mafia and the mayor, cemented the club’s reputation while avoiding any strict health and finance inspections that may have cost him money. He also employed street urchins and underage girls as waiters and bouncers for low wages. As the nightclub’s untouchable owner, he made sure his beloved club was above the law.

Greetings ~

If your looking for something interesting to check out, below is the link to a list of all my blogs. I write about a wide host of topics and there are many pictures. I'll bet you will find something that you'll like. Just click on my picture and you'll be on your way. And thanks for stopping by the Cocoanut Grove today ~

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