MANCHESTER FOCUS U.S./WORLD WEATHER AIDS caution leads I IHockanum explorers I I France minister out Patchy fog tonight; to change at schools | jsavor improvements | jin Greenpeace furor warm on Saturday page 3 ... page 13 ...page 5 ... page 2 ilanrl|FBtrr MpralJi Manchester, Conn. — A City of Village Charm Friday. Sept. 20, 1985 — Single copy: 250 r m Estimated 1,000 trapped in rubble 2 By Pieter Van Bennekom United Press International Two local travel agents MEXICO CITY - Injured and dazed survivors of an earthquake 0 that kiiled hundreds and perhaps staying at quake’s edge thousands of people roamed through makeshift emergency By Kevin Flood shelters and streets choked with Herald Reporter rubble today in search of missing relatives and friends. At least two area travel Fires that cast a hellish glow agents were staying at an over the city through the night Acapulco hotel when an earth­ continued to smouider today, as quake rocked the western coast rescuers raced to free screaming of Mexico Thursday, but a victims from hotels and skyscrap­ spokesman for the firm that ers crumbled by the quake. arranged their tour said this The Spanish news agency EFE morning that the hotel and its quoted police as saying they had guests are safe. recovered more than 962 bodies. Joni Olsen, of the Hartford The temblor, measuring 7.8 on office of Gogo Tours Inc., said the open-ended Richter scale, hit this morning that she has yet to central Mexico at 7:18 a.m. Thurs­ receive word from any of the day at the height of the morning travel agents who went along on rush hour. the tour. But, she added, the Thousands of injured thronged hotel where they were staying hospitals and authorities esti­ managed to send a message by mated the number of dead could telex sometime last night say­ .surpass 1,000. Some 50,000 workers ing that everyone is safe. dug through piles of debris in The two travel agents were search of an estimated 1,000 people identified as Jennie Hill, a trapped beneath the rubble of 20-year-old agent for the Con­ about 250 major buildings crushed necticut Travel Services S by the quake and untold numbers agency at the Manchester Par- JENNIE HILL of smaller buildings. kade, and Karen Rey, a 31-year- . in Mexico There was no word on when old manager of South Windsor telephone service to and from the Travel at 435 Buckland Road. Olsen said Hill and Rey Mexican capital, knocked out by ' Hill lives in South Windsor and "should be all right." the quake and more than 10 Rey lives in Vernon. "Travel agents are pretty aftershocks, would be resumed "The message said that the level-headed people,” she said. and allow frantic relatives to check hotel is fine and that all of its "They’re used to handling trou­ on kin. clients are safe,” Olsen said. ble while they’re traveling E In Rome, Pope John Paul 11 sent The earthquake, which has so because they do a lot of a message of condolence to Mon­ far claimed at least 250 lives, traveling.” signor Sergio Obeso Rivera, presi­ knocked out communications Olsen said tours for travel dent of the Mexican Bishops’ throughout much of Mexico. agents are usually scheduled Herald photo by Pinto Conference, expressing his "heart­ Television station WTNH, for the country’s off season. felt condolences" to relatives of channel 8. reported Thursday Mexico’s travel season, she the victims and "m y paternal evening that a Manchester said, is roughly during the Fun at the fair solicitude for the injured and resident named Helen Barrett, winter months. homeless.” 23, was also in Mexico at the Pamela Henry, the assistant P Ashley McCartney, 2’/a, of 360 Oakland James Church Fair. Thefairwill be open The death toll was expected to time of the earthquake, but her manager at Connecticut Travel St., takes a ride on a carrousel Thursday today from 5 to 11 p.m. and Saturday rise as some 50,000 workers dug family could not be reached for Services, said it was fortunate night at the opening of the annual St. from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. through piles of debris in search of comment this morning. the earthquake occurred when an estimated 1,000 people trapped Olsen said Hill and Rey were it did. "One of the really good beneath the rubble of about 250 two of 12 area travel agents who factors is that it is off season for major buildings crushed by the arrived in Mexico Wednesday, tourists," she said. quake and untold numbers of They were originally scheduled Henry said Hill joined Con­ Flash estimate puts GNP smaller buildings. to fly back Saturday, she said. necticut Travel Services only At least 3,500 people spent the "W e’re not sure when they’re six months ago. “ She’s very night in government shelters, coming back now," she said. new," she said. " I t ’ll be an according to a Mexican television "W e’ve heard that Acapulco experience for her." at slower quarterly pace station.- Channel 2. Another 2,500 wasn’t too badly hit, but if the "W e were somewhat upset people who were injured spent the airport was badly damaged last night, but when we got the night in hospitals. they might be down there for a message from the hotel this BV Denis G. Gulino Twenty-five people were killed while” morning we were relieved.” United Press International when a church collapsed during mass in Ciudad Guzman, 275 miles WASHINGTON — The economy is growing at a west of Mexico City, El Informa- and Salvadoran navy vessels had (65-foot) waves rising from the mediocre pace of 2.8 percent in the current quarter, Real GNP dor newspaper in Guadalajara reported five merchant ships and ocean," said Jesus Ferreiro of government economists projected today, aimost -G ross National Product said. The paper also reported four trawlers missing in the “ Onda Pesquera.” certainly preventing the year’s gross national product "extensive damage" in the nearby Seasonally adjusted annual rates. Pacific Ocean 135 miles west of Bodies were pulled from at least from reaching the minimum White House targets. city of Colima. Acapulco. seven major downtown Mexico -Percentages reflect change If the preliminary estimate — the "flash” In San Sebastian. Spain, the ‘"rhe Spanish crew on a Mexican City hotels that were completely projection — is correct and the fourth quarter does no from previous quarter. director of Spain’s special fishing tuna trawler told us the sea was better than the third quarter, this year will end with a radio link said today that Mexican wild. They said they saw 20-meter Please turn to page 8 growth rate of only about 2 percent, less than half of last year’s 5.7 percent progress, government analysts said. The 2.8 percent third-quarter growth rate was on the low end of most forecasts and represented only a Hydro plant won’t pay off, gentle pickup from the revised 1.9 percent growth in 2 the second quarter. For the second time this year the GNP number appeared to have been leaked a day early to Wall energy company tells town Street, something a Commerce Department spokes­ man said was under investigation. Spending by consumers and government are the By Alex Glrelll its own because it would not begin estimated would cost $380,000. two positive factors the Bureau of Economic Analysis Herald Reoprter to break even financially until In 1983, voters approved a found in making its educated guess about how the eight or nine years after the $695,000 bond issue for the dam economy is doing. An energy company that has 15-year bonds issued to underwrite repairs and construction of the 1 2 3 4 All 1 2 3 The cadre of government economists, who work on been working with the town in construction of the plant had been hydropower facility, which would the numbers insulated from political influence, 1984 '84 1985 attempts to develop a hydropower­ paid off. > uei Qf^iWc use the flow of water over the dam assumed businesses are cutting their inventories, that generating facility at Union Pond Construction of the power plant to generate power that would be serious trade deficits are not getting much worse and FOURTH QUARTER GNP dam has decided that the project is was to have been coupled with sold to Northeast Utilities. that housing investment is not expanding. not financially feasible, officials . moving at mediocre pace repairs to the dam that have been Huestis said the assumption then The White House had expected an economic learned Thursday. ordered by the state Department of was that $400,000 of the sum would rebound that would carry the GhiP 5 percent higher in Robert Huestis, the town budget Environmental Protection. Bond­ be spent for repair work. the second half of the year, compared to the l.l foreign lending to turn the United States <nto the officer, said this morning he ing for both the repairs and the It was unclear whether elimina­ percent pace in the first half. Without a rebound of biggest debtor nation on Eartb by sometime next received a letter from Catalyst plant was approved in the 1983 tion of the hydropower facility that size deficit forecasts of declining deficits for the year. Federal Reserve officials have warned. Energy Development Corp. of New town election. would have a legal effect on the next several years will have to be reworked. The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimate of 2.8 York City Thursday afternoon If the town does abandon the issuance of bonds under that 1983 The third-quarter estimate sees inflation, as percent economic growth represents the increase in advising the town that Catalyst hydropower idea, it will have to voter authorization.