The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-08-10

PettitS home. It Knocked the globe from the pole and its crash to the pavement below added to the din.
 Robertson was the driver of the bus which was due in Waterbury from Hartford at 9.45 o'clock. The light truck was being operated by John F. Holihan of 52 Sycamore Lane.
 Robertson said, T was travel ing about 25 miles an hour and had just sounded my horn to warn the truck in front of me. AS started to pass him, the truck turned to the left to enter East wood avenue and the driver put out his left hand. In order to avoid the collision, I had to pull way over to the left, and. jam ming on my brakes pulled up against the tree after sideswiping the truck"
 Patrolman Petit who goes on duty with the motor patrol at o'clock this evening said he hap pened to be in the front parlor and looked out the window in time to see the hood of the big truck come crashing into the tree in his front yard.
 The truck was wedged solidly between an electric light pole on the corner of Meriden road and Eastwood avenue and a pipe iron fence surrounding Patrolman Pe- tits yard
 The radiator was smack against the tree, the front fender was pushed back against the radiator. Not a single window of tho bus was smashed. The tree Is situated about five feet from the front porch. It's upper part was lying against the upper story of the of- ficer's house after the crash.
 Officer Petit said his first con- cern was for hfs four year old son, Joseph, Jr, who always played around the tree in the front yard. He said he dashed out of the house and saw his boy safely playing on the other side of the house. Taking in the situation at a glance, the off, ficer said, 1T ran back to the house and called Lieutenant John Dun phy at the desk at headquarters, and told him to send out ambu- lances and doctors. I told him there had been bad crash in front of my home. Women were screaming and hysterical and 1t seemed that all of the passengers were attempting to crowd out of the buss door at the same time. assisted several of the injured pas sengers into my home and gave them glasses of water. Lieuten- ant Frank Fenn, who lives next door to me at 78 Meriden road hurried to the scene and assisted in helping the distressed passen-. gers. The bus driver and several other men helped to get the pas sengers out of the bust
 Mrs MGnroe who was found ly- ing on tn. couch In officer Pettits parlor salc "I was sitting in the seat right behind the driver and my head was resting on the rear of the seat. I was in a sort or half-sleep. All of a sudden l mo- ticed the bus was Jumping. ] pulled my head back in time to zee the bus head into the fence ana crash into the tree. It all hap pened so suddenly that l really don't know what happened. Every body was screaming and trying 10 crowd out the front door,
 Lieutenant James Mulville and Patrolman John McWeeney ar rived at tt.e scene of the crash all most imm, diately after 1t nap pened. Lieutenant Mulville straight ened out the traffic and took charge. Motor Patrolman Harold Lawlor and James Carey arrived and with Patrolman McWeeney as- sisted in keeping the traffic from becoming congested. Noise of the crash attracted hundreds to the scene.
 John J. Lawlor, of 54 Penber- ton street, manager of the snort Line Motur Bus Service at 196 Grand street, arrived at the scene within Few moments of the crash and immediately secured another bus from the terminal. The re- maining messengers were placed aboard the new bus and carried to the terminal. There were 33 passengerg in the bus when it col llded agalngt the tree.