The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-04-22
Coaches Rom


 Continued from Page D condition, left Waterbury at 5:3O yesterday afternoon for Boston where he was to enter the Lahey Clinic for observation.
 Father of Two
 MT. Thibodeau is employed at the American Brass Company and is the father of two children, Douglas, T, and Roland, six weeks.
 Boston, April 22-(UP)-Four Sep- arate investigations were begun to- day to determine whether an en- gineer's failure to comply with safety signals was responsible for head.on collision between New Haven Railroad passenger trains in which two persons perished, and 50 still were hospitalized.
 W. E. Mullins, superintendent of the railroads Boston division. said after a preliminary survey of the wreckage that the engineer of one of the trains passed more than one signal light"
 He did not specify whether the engineer was William E. Bean, 59, of Dorchester, pilot of the Provi- dence- bound train, who died ct a hospital this morning.
 75 Treated, Released
 Killed instantly was the fireman on that train, Norman Goodwin, 37, of East Braintree. Though total of l25 persons were treated at six greater Boston hospitals only 30 were held overnight and none of these except Bean was said to be in serious condition.
 Special crews meanwhile cleared tracks near the Readville car shops where the Providence train and an- other erroute from Hartford, Conn, to Boston, colhded.
 With railroad investigation in progress, the Army also sent in- vestigators to the scene since many Army personnel were aboard.
 William H. Kirley, director of the State Public Utilities Depart ment's railroad and bus division, had two inspectors on the job, at- tempting to place blame. Also rec ported enroute from Washington were members of the staff of the Interstate Commerce Commission.
 HumOr?
 Despite the tragic scene as rescue workers aided shaken passengers to safety there was trace of huInor whe na woman struck her legs on some of the debris and shouted in horror:
 "OhI My nylons."
 Probe Started
 Railroad officials began an lnves- tigation to determine the cause of the wreck which occurred about I0:l6 D. m. A railroad spokesman said the crash occurred as the in- bound train crossed over" from the New Haven's Wrenthan branch to the Maine line between Boston and Providence. Superintendent W. E. Mullins of the railroads Boston Division said 1t was probable that the Providence-boun train had missed" a signal.
 The locomotive of the Providence train was crushed like an accord- ion. Three of it's coaches were over- turned and a baggage car was in splinters. However, the Hartford train was less damaged with all coaches upright and only the en- zine suffering severe harm.
 TEe injured were trapped in the coaches as result of the terrific im- pact which tossed the passengers into tangled pile in the aisleS. The less injured administered first aid to the more seriously hurt riders be- fore rescue squads arrived to release them from the cars.
 The victims were taken to five hospitals as fleet of 20 anlbulances was put into action. However, the majority Of those hurt were released after treatment for their slight bruises.
 The mobilization of relief forces was tse biggest since the Cocoanut  Grove holocaust which claimed 49l lives in l942 Aid was summoned from the Navy. Coast Guard and Red Gross 10 assist police and fire men in removing the injured from the wreck. Tn addition, Boston eie- vated railway train and bus service was used to transport the slightly hurt passengers to hospitals.
 Houses a quarter Of a mile away were shaken by tile crash and one woman said she was thrown out os bed by the Impact. Rescue squads were hampered in their attempts 10 remove the injured due to steam escaping from the engines The white fog hid the sleh. Of the wreekage causing the workers to