The Morning News from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 1

tst Eomar Atlanta douses Phils The Phillies' semi-hot bats go to sleep and the Braves unload some hits of their own on the way to a 6-1 victory. Sports Dl A fun fund-raiser Robert Schuller combines a series of one-liners with the Midas touch of fund-raising to become one of the top TV evangelists. Pace Ml 300' Price index is bullish Food prices dropped the most since 1976, fuel costs didn't go up as much as expected, factory orders are up, and economists aren't worrying as much about a return to high inflation. Business DO Weather: sunny, warm Today: Partly sunny and warm, high in the mid-80s. Variably cloudy tonight with a chance of showers.

Sunday: Morning cloudiness will give way to clearing skies, high, mid to upper 80s. Details, A4 Ann Landers. D4 Editorial A6 Arts D2 Obituaries A7 Business B8 People D3 Calendar D2 Record C14 Classified C2 Sports B1 Comics D4 Television D4 Base period 1967100 a rfiMMfitiiftiitiiriil The News lourna A Gannett Newspaper Wilmington, Saturday, July 23, 1983 Vol. 10, No. 29 25 cents 1963.

The News-Journal Co. So eye I'vuV'J blockade off Nicaragua photo by Bob Herbert Chris Zwickert stands in front of the pool where he saved a friend almost twice his size from drowning. Youngster saves drowning pal By PHILIP TAUBMAN New York Times WASHINGTON President Reagan has approved a plan calling for a substantial increase in American military involvement in Central America and preparations for a possible limited military blockade of Nicaragua, senior administration officials said Friday. Military operations that the United States will soon conduct in Central America and the Caribbean are designed to lay the groundwork for the expanded American presence and the possible quarantine, the officials said. The series of air, sea and land operations, which are scheduled to begin next month, are to last a minimum of six months.

In public comments officials have described the exercises as routine. The exercises are designed in part to test and refine plans for imposing a military quarantine around Nicaragua. The plan approved by Reagan does not envisage any immediate combat role for U.S. forces, but does call for making preparations so that American forces can persuade Nicaragua to stop the shipment of arms that Washington has repeatedly said moves from Cuba through Nicaragua to guerrillas in El Salvador. But the officials said Reagan concluded the recent review of Central America policy determined to end Soviet and Cuban interference in the region, and, if necessary, to force the Nicaraguan government to live in peace with its neighbors or force it from power.

Officials said highly classified plans drawn up for the exercises also included the installation of new radar and electronic surveillance posts in Central America, the positioning of large stocks of military equipment in Honduras and the initial phases of construction of a planned $150 million air and naval base on the Atlantic coast of Honduras. "We have developed a program for a significant and long-lasting increase in the U.S. military presence in Central America," a senior national security official said. Financing for the expanded presence, apart from the air and naval base in Honduras, has not yet been determined, the officials said. They said the Defense Department planned to draw on a number of Pentagon accounts, including money allocated to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for military exercises, to limit the number and amount of additional financing requests to Congress, which has generally resisted increases in U.S.

involvement in the region. The Senate minority leader, Robert C. Byrd, voiced concern Friday about the direction of the administration's Central America policies, saying, "I hope we would not rush pell-mell into a military adventure in this area." Byrd, in remarks on the Senate floor, said he feared Reagan's appointment this week of a commission on Central America could be "a smokescreen for the administration to get its way on the issues developing in Central America." The House is scheduled to begin debate next week on legislation that would cut off See MILITARY A5 By DANIEL HORGAN Staff reporter Eleven-year-old Chris Zwickert has never had lifesaving lessons. That didn't stop him, however, from saving a friend almost twice his size and 160 pounds heavier from drowning last Sunday morning. His 15-year-old friend, Eddie Page, of Coatesville, was practicing swimming for his Boy Scout merit badge in the Zwick-ert's pool, and he was just getting used to swimming alone in the pool's deep end.

While Eddie swam, Chris and his parents, William and Patricia Zwickert were enjoying breakfast near the built-in pool at 4625 Muggleton Road, Limestone Acres. "All of a sudden we heard this thrashing orrtunt onH caur TTHHio in a tntal nanip was bloated and they weren't moving at all." For a terrible moment, Zwickert said, "I thought both boys had drowned." He was about to jump in the pool when his son slowly started pushing his friend upwards and to the side of the pool. Eddie, who swallowed some water during the incident, managed to walk away from the pool unhurt about 20 minutes later. Eddie remembers only stuggling briefly in the water before ending up by the side of the pool. "I was panicking and confused.

I knew if I went down one more time that would be it." Eddie, who said he and Chris are "like cousins," is grateful to have the younger boy for a friend. "I said thank you to him about 20 times." Chris, who plays on the Polish Library midget league baseball team in Wilming-See HERO A5 climbing stairs. He walks with a cane. He hurried to the side of the pool but could not help the thrashing, yelling boy, who stands almost 6 feet and weights 229 pounds. "I couldn't do anything," Zwickert recalled.

Chris, who was sitting with his mother under a nearby apple tree eating cereal, sprang into action. "Suddenly I saw this red and yellow blur go by me," the elder Zwickert said. The 70-pound boy took a running jump off the side of the pool and landed feet first next to Eddie in the 8-foot deep water. The thrashing boy, three times his friend's weight, was not easy to rescue. "He started kicking me he was panicking," Chris Zwickert said.

He struggled to get a hold on Eddie but the larger boy began to sink. Chris' father, watching in frustration from the side, recalled that "for a second the water was totally still and I could see both boys about 7 feet down. Eddie's face yelling ivi iicip, vviiiiaiu aaiu. The elder Zwickert has suffered numerous strokes and heart attacks he underwent open-heart surgery for the second time in May 1981 and has difficulty walking or Envoy Habib replaced by White House aide No change is seen in Middle East stance Delaware mops up after thunderstorm and tornado strike if' Sfc. dim- Lebanon in tandem with Israel.

But the only announcement from Gemayel's trip was Reagan's disclosure that Habib, 61, one of this country's most renowned career diplomats, was stepping down and being replaced by McFarlane, 45, who has no expertise in the Middle East, but is highly regarded as a behind-the-scenes administrator on national security matters. McFarlane said he will go to the Middle East within 10 days with a new team and retain his post as senior deputy to William P. Clark, the White House national security adviser. Reporters asked McFarlane, who has been deeply involved in arms control and defense policy coordination, how he could devote much time to the Middle East and still carry out his responsibiities in the White House. A senior White See MCFARLANE A5 Beirut's airport is bombarded; 23 are killed, A2 A Wilmington soldier is in Beirut, A5 By BERNARD GWERTZMAN New York Times WASHINGTON President Reagan on Friday named deputy national security adviser Robert C.

McFarlane to replace Philip C. Habib as chief Middle East negotiator, in an atte.mpt to end the impasse over troop withdrawal from Lebanon. Reagan announced the unexpected move as he was bidding farewell at the White House to President Amin Gemayel of Lebanon. The Lebanese leader has spent several days here trying to press the administration into doing more to persuade Syria to accept a formula for pulling its troops out of By JANE BROOKS and KEVIN FEELEY I Staff reporters DOVER The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tor- hado struck Thursday in Hartly during a violent thunderstorm that left one woman dead and scores of homes and businesses damaged. The tornado, which cut a destruc- tive swath as it passed quickly from Vvest to east through the town, apparently touched down just before 9 p.m.

during the storm, which ravaged many areas in Kent County. "You can tell a tornado by the pattern of the damage left behind," said Jim Saunders, meteo-rologist for the National Weather Service at the Greater Wilmington New Castle County Airport. "There was a swirl pattern to the damage in Hartly," he said, adding that the inspection of the damage by the weather service "confirms reports that a tornado, was cited Thursday night." Killed during the storm was Carol A. McGinnis, 25. She and her hus- band's nephew, Alan McGinnisf who lived with the family, were watching television in their trailer home about 9 p.m.

when high winds lifted the structure from its foundation and sent it crashing to the ground 50 yards away. A state police official later said the mobile home "literally disintegrated" under the force of the wind. Carol McGinnis was found beneath part of the trailer and taken to Kent General Hospital in Dover for emergency surgery. She was pronounced dead at 9:43 p.m. from massive trauma to the head and chest, said Capt.

Ronald J. Torger-son, state police spokesman. Alan McGinnis received minor injuries but refused treatment, Tor-gersonsaid. Another half-dozen people were taken to hospital from the Hartly area. One woman had been struck by lightning, one was in hysterics and three or four others were treated for cuts, Hartly Fire Chief Bill Leslie said.

Leslie said he saw "a black funnel them to believe it was necessary to declare a state of emergency, Manning said. In Dover, the storm did its heaviest damage in the Sherwood area in the southwest section of the city. The subdivision appeared like a jungle of twisted tree limbs and downed wires. Several homes were damaged by fallen trees. Hardly a Staff photo by Coneen Combes Lonnie Brown consoles the dog owned by Carol A.

McGinnis, who was killed when her trailer (in background) flew off its foundation. I I I Benzene: How much is safe? by the storm, which struck about 8:45 p.m. Damage was heavy, however, throughout the county. The storm also struck hard in New Castle County. Three people were injured when the car in which they were riding was struck by a falling tree on Barley Mill Road, See STORM A5 cloud come cruising through town from the west" as he sat in the fire hall's radio room.

"It looked to me like your average tornado," he said. "Things started flying all over the place. It was moving right along. I'd say most of the damage occurred in about a minute." The Hartly area was hardest hit Two Du Pont Co. workers sue, claiming they got leukemia from exposure to benzene.

A three-part series explores the issue of benzene In the workplace. Starts Sunday.