Abstract
The Cocoanut Grove fire started about 10: 15 p. m. Saturday, Nov. 28, 1942. The restaurant was crowded with people celebrating the victory of the Holy Cross football team over that of Boston College. Newspaper accounts estimate a crowd of 1,000. On December 6 the official count of the dead reached 498. The dance floor of the main dining room had been cleared for the start of the floor show. Most of the patrons were seated at their tables or crowded in the bar and cocktail lounges. The first patients arrived at the emergency ward of the Massachusetts General Hospital at 10:30 p. m. Shortly thereafter the hospital was notified of the disaster and asked to be ready to receive a large number of patients. The hospital organization set up under Civilian Defense for the handling of air raid casualties had already been set into operation. The house staff and
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