The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 1

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By CARLWEISER Staff reporter turned out to be wrong, Kirk said, but by then the recall had begun. "We probably didn't need to have a recall at all." Once the product was recalled, complaints flooded in from Florida about stunted, mutated crops The COLUMBUS, Ga. that had been treated with Benlate. DuPont began paying claims, Kirk said, ON TRIAL Week four Rivervlow Plaza I Outdoor Two restaurants I What: A 3.7-acre development alonq the Christina amphitheater would be plaza River that includes a 14-screen movie theater, i ivuiuuiuiiiu i -c as mi ampnuneaier, maoor amusement center, showpiece of with river vipws I JJOO-seat amphitheater, indoor amusement center, showpiece of with river views i I I LI I V. 1 SJ -iT B.

1 1 1 -vJ EM garage, restaurants, food court, communityr6omand other attractions. Develooer: Enterortee-DevelODers otoud it DuPont Cos Benlate DF was a "good product" that should still be on the market, a top company official testified Wednesday. The pesticide, recalled in 1991, is the subject of a $450 million lawsuit. Four farmers charge that Benlate ruined their crops, that DuPont knew it was dangerous and that the company covered it up. Hundreds of similar lawsuits are pending.

Wednesday marked the first day of DuPont's defense. Its first witness was William F. Kirk, vice president and general manager of DuPont's agricultural chemicals division, which made Benlate DF. "We behaved in a most upstanding way," Kirk said. "There's absolutely no effort to cover up." Kirk testified for nearly six hours, reiterating the company's stance that there is nothing wrong with Benlate.

He said the company spent nearly $12 million testing Benlate on 250,000 plants. "The conclusion was there was no way Benlate was involved at all" in the crop damage, he said. Highlights Wednesday: Benlate DF was pulled from the market in March 1991 because DuPont thought a plant killer was contaminating it. That formed by promoter David Woolen-banker Malcolmn crvuia. KTyor, ana tormer 76ers superstar Julius Cost: Projected at $15 million.

Opening: Projected by Christmas 1994. I IV Development I "giving the benefit of the doubt to the customer." I In 1991 and 1992, DuPont paid over half a billion dollars to farmers. Kirk explained why: DuPont at first did suspect Benlate was the problem; "we could not prove it was not Benlate." When the company's 16 months of experiments showed Benlate wasn't to blame, DuPont stopped paying. There's no good, scientific reason why Benlate DF shouldn't be on the market, Kirk said, but the furor and suits make it impossible. "I believe it's impossible" that the world's deadliest plant killers, sulfonyl ureas, could have contaminated Benlate, Kirk said.

SUs and Benlate's main ingredient are made at a DuPont plant in Belle, W. Va. Farmers' lawyers say SUs tainted Benlate; Kirk said the plant was designed to keep the two chemicals separate. Jobs: Projected at 300 during construction, and 250 after it opens. lte I 1 1 The News JoumalDAN QARROW Source: Enterprise Developers Stoutenborough, Inc.

Architects and Planners Will develop Wilmington waterfront DuPont's earnings are good and bad game plan. Both competitors unveiled their proposals Wednesday morning. Afterward, the Gateway Corp. met privately, then announced they had voted to negotiate with Enterprise. They immediately adjourned to the mayor's office, where a news conference decorated with Enterprise's drawings and placards had already been set up.

Williams and Sills, along with Erving, Pryor and Wooley, gushed enthusiasm. Sills, reading previously prepared remarks, said Riverview Plaza would fulfill his campaign pledge to develop the waterfront, and bring Wilmington its only movie theater. It's unclear how much public money would be needed for the project. But officials familiar with Riverview said the Gateway Corp. cciil' be asked to donate the land or build the pn king lot.

By CRIS BARRISH Staff reporter WILMINGTON The city drafted basketball great Julius Erving's team Wednesday to build a $15 million entertainment complex along the Christina River. Erving's new group, Enterprise Developers won out over one other proposal by local architect Richard D. Chalfant who wanted to build a mix of town houses, condominiums, yacht slips and shops. Enterprise wants to construct Riverview Plaza, a high-tech complex on 3.7 acres adjacent to the Wilmington Train Station. It plans a 14-screen movie complex, amphitheater, indoor amusement center, 300-car parking garage and restaurants.

No deal has been signed. But Wednesday's unanimous vote by the Christina Gateway run by six top city and state officials, Erving still a crowd-pleaser A12 authorized negotiations with Enterprise. City Commerce Director James "Vic" Williams, president of the Gateway said it was "highly probable" a contract would be signed by December. Williams said the project would generate 300 construction jobs and 250 jobs after it opened. Local promoter David Wooley, who heads Enterprise, said he anticipated a Christmas 1994 opening.

Wooley formed Enterprise with Erving, the former high-flying Philadelphia 76ers star, and Malcolmn Pryor, a Philadelphia investment banker. They approached the Sills administration in March with their plan. The Gateway Corp. sought other proposals, and only Chalfant submitted one. But Erving's group was the only one in Mayor James H.

Sills 1 Carper ak federal aid for Be Roundup of local earnings D1 ties segments. Several of DuPont's key businesses continue to be adversely affected by pricing pressures worldwide, he said, as well as a stronger dollar and generally weak economies in Europe. While DuPont presented a cloudy picture Wednesday, Hercules Inc. racked up another banner quarter. Hercules second-quarter net income rose nearly 27 percent to $54.7 million.

Sales for the quarter remained flat at $711 million. DuPont's second-quarter sales fell 2 percent to $9.5 billion. The company blamed lower volumes and selling prices in the chemicals and specialties segments. Although DuPont's earnings showed gains from last year, the quarterly results did not meet Wall Street's projections. A survey of chemical analysts in mid-July predicted per-share earnings of 89 cents.

By NEIL CORNISH Staff reporter WILMINGTON Earnings Day for the DuPont Co. Wednesday proved to be a mixed bag of rising overall profits and declines in most business segments. DuPont reported second-quarter net income of $516 million, or 76 cents a share. That compares with earnings of $277 million, or 41 cents a share, for the same quarter of 1992. Excluding one-time charges, DuPont's quarterly earnings rose 11 percent to $537 million, or 79 cents a share.

DuPont said its year-to-date income is up 15 percent, excluding nonrecurring items. DuPont chairman Edgar S. Woolard Jr. attributed the earnings rise to the "substantial improvement" in the company's energy subsidiary, Conoco Inc. Woolard said Conoco's performance offset lower results in DuPont's chemicals and special- "The real problem is the lack of moisture in the first six inches of the ground," Carper told a news conference in Wilmington.

Drinking water supplies still are adequate. "The corn is the worst I've ever seen," said James W. Schiff, 52, of near Harrington, who has been farming for 20 years. Since May 29, A brief respite from Hooding A9 Del. volunteers head for Midwest A8 his 2,000 acres have received two rainfalls totaling 1.2 inches.

The 800 acres that are irrigated are doing well. But he doesn't expect to take even a bushel off the other 1,200 acres. Instead, he will cut it for food for his cattle operation. His crop insurance will probably pay him less than half of what he would normally expect to make on his harvest, he said. Schiff, who farms in the Harrington to Greensboro, area and north toward Smyrna, is in one of the hardest-hit areas.

Drought-stricken farmers desperate By NANCY KESLER Dover Bureau chief I WILMINGTON Gov. Carper asked the federal government Wednesday to approve a request for drought emergency assistance to the state's farmers, who face losses of $20 million to $30 million. The request covers corn pasture land and hay. If the request is granted, growers with heavy losses would be eligible for low-interest federal loans if turned down by commercial lenders. But the Farmers Home Administration, which runs the loan program, will not take applications until the U.S.

Department of Agriculture acts on Carper's request. Thunderstorms this summer also seem to have gone out of their way to miss areas such as the corridor between Milford and Dover and sections of northern Sussex County. State agricultural officials estimate that 70 percent of the farmers 3,180 have lost more than 30 percent of their crop. And the losses, which were estimated last week, continue to climb. The corn losses in bushels are highest in Sussex County 3 million to 3.5 million.

Kent is second with 1.8 million to 2 million bushels, and New Castle faces losses of 1.5 million to 1.6 million. The low-interest loans, 4 percent for seven years, and crop insurance are just two avenues of assistance for farmers. The disaster assistance bill primarily for the flooded Midwest that is moving through Congress also contains emergency assistance for farmers with drought problems. Details on how much a grower could collect are not available. Lebanese town pounded r'.

fJl Lighter caused deadly fire HIGH LOW 93 71 Details on B2 The boys were found in the same bedroom, adjoining the living room. Stevenson said investigators learned the lighter and fluid can were in the living room before the 13 -1 Movies E4 D1 Business B4 B4 Aid pledges pour in Boys' obituary Classified C7 Obituaries B4 Hit 'f j-r for 3 -Yt E3 E5 People Comics 1 no evidence of code violations, said Grant D. Prichard, director of Kent County's Office of Inspections and Enforcement. "We had an inspector go out there today and as far as we can tell there was nothing that was illegally done by the owner." His office received one complaint, from an anonymous caller March 2, that the home might not meet county codes and had an illegal addition and trash outside. "One of our inspectors went out there and could not locate the property," Prichard said.

"Because the complaint was anonymous, there wasn't much more we could do." The inspector researched the site and found owner Brendan Morris of Dover had applied for a permit to build the porch. Fluid can found where boys died By JOHN CUTIERREZ-MIER Staff reporter SMYRNA Three young brothers who died in a mobile home fire Monday started the deadly blaze with a lighter, authorities have ruled. At least one of the boys ages 1, 2 and 4 was playing with a cigarette lighter and lighter fluid, fire officials said Wednesday. Examining the charred rubble of the Smyrna Landing home, investigators discovered the lighter fluid can on what remained of a bed, said Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Charles B. Stevenson III.

The lighter was on the floor nearby. Crossword E4 Public Diary B3 Dear Abby E4 Scoreboard C4 Editorial A14 Sports CI 4' '1, E2 A14 Television Letters fm 31 deadly fire. The tragedy sparked an outpouring of concern and donations for the boys' mother Judy Allen, 19, who escaped with her infant daughter and her sister's family, who shared the modest home. A charity Wednesday said it will pay for the funerals. The fire also prompted charges from previous tenants' relatives of deplorable conditions in the 19-year-old mobile home.

Authorities Wednesday found 1 I APEDMOND SHEDID Smoke billows Wednesday during Israeli shelling ot Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon. Thousands of residents have fled the region to avoid artillery, warship and jet attacks. Story, A4. II SELL WITH CLASSV'IEDS: 324-2424 or (800) 427-2424 '4 HOME DELIVERY: 4-2700 or (800) 235-9100.