UNITED STATES
                                SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                                      Washington, D.C. 20549

                                           SCHEDULE 13D

                             Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
                                        (Amendment No. 1)*

                                  ACCEL International Corporation
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                         (Name of Issuer)

                              Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                  (Title of Class of Securities)

                                            004299 10 3
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                                          (CUSIP Number)

                                      William H. Cuddy, Esq.
                                        Day, Berry & Howard
                           CityPlace I, Hartford, Connecticut 06103-3499
                                           (860) 275-0100
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                           (Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person
                         Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications)

                                         December 11, 1996
             ------------------------------------------------------------------

                      (Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)

If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report
the acquisition which is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this
schedule because of Rule 13d-1(b)(3) or (4), check the following box /   /.

Check the following box if a fee is being paid with the statement /   /.  (A
fee is not required only if the reporting person: (1) has a previous statement
on file reporting beneficial ownership of more than five percent of the class
of securities described in Item 1; and (2) has filed no amendment subsequent
thereto reporting beneficial ownership of five percent or less of such class.)
(See Rule 13d-7.)

Note: Six copies of this statement, including all exhibits, should be filed
with the Commission.  See Rule 13d-1(a) for other parties to whom copies are to
be sent.

*The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person*s
initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities,
and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be
deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of
the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see
the Notes).

CUSIP No. 004299 10 3

Continued on the following pages.






1       NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
        S.S. OR I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

        Arnold L. Chase
        ###-##-####

2       CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*   (a)/    /
                                                            (b)/ x /

3       SEC USE ONLY

4       SOURCE OF FUNDS*

        PF

5       CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO 
        ITEMS 2(d) OR 2(e)/    /

6.      CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION

        U.S.

                7      SOLE VOTING POWER
                       1,167,824 shares
NUMBER OF
   SHARES       8      SHARED VOTING POWER
BENEFICIALLY           -0- shares
 OWNED BY
      EACH      9      SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
REPORTING              1,167,825 shares
   PERSON
     WITH      10      SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
                       -0- shares

11      AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
        1,167,824 shares

12      CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*
                                                                   /   /

13      PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)

        13.6%

14      TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*
        IN

                               *SEE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE FILLING OUT!



                           AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE 13D

        The reporting person hereby amends in part his Statement on Schedule
13D dated September 20, 1996 (the "Schedule 13D") with respect to the common
stock, par value $0.10 per share (the "Common Stock"), of ACCEL International
Corporation ("ACCEL").  This amendment amends only those portions of the
information previously reported that have changed since the prior filing.

Item 3. Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration.

        On December 11, 1996, the reporting person purchased 153,882 shares of
Common Stock from American Ranger Inc. ("ARI") in a private sale at a price of
$2.875 per share, thereby paying an aggregate price of $442,410.75.  Funds for
the purchase were obtained from the personal funds of the reporting person.

Item 4. Purpose of Transaction.

        The reporting person is holding the 1,167,824 shares of Common Stock he
owns of record for investment purposes.  Based on his ongoing evaluation of the
business, prospects and financial condition of ACCEL, the market for and price
of the Common Stock, other opportunities available to him, offers for his
shares of Common Stock, general economic conditions and other future
developments, the reporting person may decide to sell or seek the sale of all
or part of his present or future beneficial holdings of Common Stock, or may
decide to acquire additional Common Stock either in the open market, in private
transactions, or by any other permissible means.

Item 5. Interest in Securities of the Issuer.

        (a)            (i)    As of the date hereof, the reporting person owns
               of record and beneficially 1,167,824 shares of Common Stock, or
               13.6% of the 8,603,742 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of
               September 30, 1996.

                       (ii)   In accordance with Rule 13d-4 under the Exchange
               Act, the reporting person expressly declares that the filing of
               this statement shall not be construed as an admission that he
               is, for the purposes of Section 13(d) or Section 13(g) of the
               Exchange Act, the beneficial owner of any of the (1) 5,350
               shares of Common Stock or less than 0.1% of the shares of Common
               Stock outstanding as of  September 30, 1996 owned by Sandra M.
               Chase, the spouse of the reporting person, (2) 2,000,000 shares
               of Common Stock or 23.2% of the shares of Common Stock
               outstanding as of September 30, 1996 owned by Rhoda L. Chase,
               mother of the reporting person and the spouse of David T. Chase,
               (3) 1,167,824shares of Common Stock or 13.6% of the shares of
               Common Stock outstanding as of September 30, 1996 owned by The
               Darland Trust for which Rothschild Trust Cayman Limited serves
               as trustee and in which Cheryl Chase, sister of the reporting
               person and daughter of David T. Chase and Rhoda L. Chase, is a
               beneficiary, or (4) 335,000 shares of Common Stock or 3.9% of
               the shares of Common Stock outstanding as of September 30, 1996
               owned by Insurance Holdings Limited Partnership, a limited
               partnership in which Chase Insurance Corporation is the general
               partner and Rhoda L. Chase, Sandra M. Chase and CCF Family Trust
               are limited partners.

        (b)    The reporting person has the sole power to vote or to direct the
vote, and the sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition, of the
1,167,824 shares of Common Stock owned by him.

        (c)    Besides the transaction described in Item 3 herein, no
transactions have occurred during the past sixty days involving the reporting
person.





                                             SIGNATURE

        After reasonable inquiry and to the best of his knowledge and belief,
the reporting person certifies that the information set forth in this statement
is true, complete and correct.

Dated:  December 24, 1996



                                             /s/ Arnold L. Chase
                                      Name:  Arnold L. Chase