Suptttng ralb MANCHESTER, CONN., MONDAY, APRIL 2 2 .1 9 7 4 - VOL. XCIII, No. 172 Manchester A City of Village Charm TWENTY PAGES PRICE: FIFTEEN CENTS Explosion Damages Building Near U.N. NEW YORK (UPI) - An five area hospitals. One suf­ explosion and fire, apparently others over a wide area, fered serious burns, a Bellevue Two and one half hours after caused by accumulated gas, littering the streets of mid- Hospital spokesman said. the blast, firemen still were today ripped through a com­ Manhattan and disrupting The blast shortly befbre 7 battling a stubborn fire which mercial building and heavily a.m. EDT severely damaged vehicular and pedestrian traf­ they contained to the ground damaged an adjacent apart­ fic. the two buildings and blew out floor of the commercial ment building just one block 'The blast sent a cloud of dust windows in the east midtown building. lA from the United Nations. and smoke over the area, but area between Second and First Firemen with heavy axes P A check of hospitals showed the accompanying fire was con­ avenues from 42nd Street north climbed to upper floors of the ‘W-Ti M persons were treated for in­ to 50th Street. fined to the ground floor. 18-story apartment building to juries, most of them minor. One of the buildings, a 22- Ambulances rushed the more Two men working in a garage break through buckled doors to seriously injured to Bellevue story block-long office building reach occupants believed under the apartment building Hospital. at 305 E. 45th St., suffered the trapped inside. were unaccounted for and a Assistaijt fire chief Lester ntiost damage. Almost the en­ At the time of the blast short­ search for them was underway. Snyder sara, “ We still have a tire ground floor on the north ly before'7 a.m. EDT, at least Most of the injured came side was blown out. fire problem on the ground two custodial eptiployes were in from the Envoy Towers, a floor.’’ Heavy smoke and There were no immediate' the 25-story commercial residential building adjoining flames still poured from the ^ - r reports of damage to the huge building. W-: the structure where the blast floor two hours after the blast. United Nations complex, which Sal Desposlto, a porter, told occurred, and they suffered “ I heard thunder, what I is located east of Second reporters: cuts from flying glass. The 250 thought was thunder,” said AI Avenue along the East River “ I was sitting down in the families in the building were Armour, president of Projec­ and runs from 42nd Street to back (on the first floor) and the ordered evacuated. 48th Street. tions Systems,.whose office was •-'I. ■ -"t / whole thing went up. Nothing % The injured were taken to in the explosion building. “ I hit me and I ran out.” have half a million dollars John Moglia, another building worth of inventory in that Waiting for a Bite employe, was standing over the building.” Israel Building basement where he believes the The United Nations Missions You are never too young to learn how to fish nor too old to explosion took place. Springs Park. Whether George Jr. caught anything or not of Burundi and Indonesia are try landing that big one. Saturday fishing opened in the ‘"The whole floor came up,” located in the building and the IS not as important as going fishing with dad — a pleasure state and anglers of all ages tried their luck and as usual Supply Roads he said. “ I was thrown about 30 U.N. Mission from Nepal has they 11 both enjoy until the time comes for George Jr. to feet. I lost my glasses and my had varying degrees of success. George Russo of 188 Broad offices in the adjoining apart­ pass on the angling arts to his own children. (Herald photo cap but I wasn’t hit by any ment house. St. is giving son, George Jr., a lesson in the art at Center by Dunn) To Mt. Hermon flying objects. United Pres* International its positions on Mt. Hermon by “ I couldn’t see anything or Israeli and Syrian army occupying Tel El Chahar, part hear anything for what seemed engineer units worked under ar­ of the mountain in Lebanese like about ten minutes. I groped tillery fire today to build supply territory. Lebanese soldiers my way out 'but on my own roads up the 9,000-foot slopes of fired mortars at the Israelis, power not with the help of Cancer Fund Big Winner snowy Mt. Hermon, the but failed to dislodge them, the Bremen.” w s MrralJi battleground for control of the reports said. ’The cause of thie early morn­ Golan Heights. ing blast was not immediately In Political Hoop An Israeli military RMKora plan open house, Page 5 Tilt The Tel Aviv military com­ spokesman, however, said, determined, but fire offficials Business Bodies, Page 7 By SOL R. COHEN mand said Israeli work crews “We don’t have any infor­ said they suspected a gas leak. desire to play and to win was The high-point man and most struggled under constant Syrian mation” aboiit the Lebanese "It must have been leaking M ACC news. Page 9 ’The Manchester Cancer Fund ^tested to by the furious pace valuable player of the game artillery fire to widen a road to news reports. for a long time,” one fire off- Forum of Arts, Page 2 is about $300 richer today and ^ scoring and missing, take was Republican Frank Rizza, your choice. the peak. *, Syrian military communiques ficer said. Bolton: Smoking rules mulled. Page 20 an assorted group of who starred on the East It took" no time at all — only Israeli planes, mortars and said ‘‘several” Israeli soldiers The explosion apparently Republican and Democratic Catholic championship team Vernon budget hearing tonight. Page 8 3; 18 into the first quarter — for field guns bombarded Syrian were killed and tanks destroyed centered in the basement and politicians about 300 pounds nine years ago. A golden anniversary. Page 10 th e first score, when engineering units building their in day and night artille^ duels blew out much of the struc­ poorer — thanks to a hard- T h e professional-type “ Frenchy” LaPointe, chalked own road on the northeast over the mountain. Syria said ture’s brickwork. fought basketball game Sunday Democratic cheerleaders, up the first two points for the slopes, the command said. two raiding Israeli flghter- It also blew out every window afternoon at Manchester High wearing uniforms donated by Democrats. The Republicans Arab newsmen in southern boihbers were driven off by in the building, and shattered School..^.. the Womens Auxiliary of the called "foul,” but didn’t get Lebanon said Israel beefed up ground fire. Cleaner Air Is Aim The team representing the Manchester Football League, Republican Town.. Ck>mmittee away with it. ’They said later were: Joanne Costello, Louise Of Workshop Tonight prevailed by a 29 to 23 score they thought LaPointe was pat­ Prignano, Sue Price, Mary- over the team representing the ting his stomach — not shooting Jean Tani, Rachael Ptignano, the ball. Miss Clarahan Named Democratic Town Committee. Jo-Ann Moriarty, Anne Transportation strategies to towns throughout the Capitol They played eight-minute Anyway, it took only two Prignano, Barb McConville and help reduce smog in the and Central Planning Regions. quarters, except for the third minutes more for the mascot Kim Costello. Greater Hartford area will be Transportation strategies to quarter, which had 10, and Republicans to tie the score, The Republicans countered Loyalty Day Queen the subject of a public be developed, which may have February, which has 28. when Charlie “ Energy” Oocini with Ellen Zinsser and Jennie workshop tonight at 7 at wide-ranging social and The games had everything — put one up from almost two feet Gallagher, in cheer-leader-type Manchester’s Highland Park economic effects, are aimed at real uniforms (grey with blue out. What yelling and cheering. uniforms; Fred “Big Bear” Miss Linda Jeanne Clarahan, and her selection as third School. Manchester Memorial achieving air quality standards letters and an elephant for the From then on the game settled Peck, in straw hat and anle- a senior at Manchester High runner-up in the Connecticut Hospital; Burl Lyons, publisher The workshop, to be con­ set by the federal government. Republicans, tan with red down to a furious pace of length raccoon coat (it looked School, was crowned VFW Junior Miss Pageant for 1974. of ’The Herald; David Wilson, ducted by officials of the state Air quality measurements letters and a donkey for the almost-scoring. The like the raccoon was alive); and Loyalty Day (Jueen Saturday Judges for Saturday’s com­ manager of the Worth’s Main Departments of Environmental taken by the Department of En­ Democrats), four certified Republicans shot a fantastic 11 Vivian Ferguson, in a Charlie night at a dance at the VFW petition Were Town Director St. store; and Mark Oladell, Protection, Finance & Control, vironmental Protection show referees, a team of nine per cent, the Democrats almost Chaplin outfit, complete with Home. Phyllis Jackston, Mrs. Mary m anner of the Cut and Curl and Transportation, is one of 'that the national air quality professional-type cheerleaders equaled it at nine per cent. cane and a black wig. She will represent the Sterud, director of nursing at B e^ty Salon. seven sessions schedule in standards cannot be achieved in for the Democrats and four not- The Democrats led 5 to 4 at ’Typical original cheers were: Manchester VFW Post and its V,. the metropolitan area without so-professional cheerleaders the end of the first quarter.