Daily News from New York, New York • 196

By JOSEPH VOLZ Washington (News Bureau) It was a sizable gift Navy Secretary John Lehman gave the 900-fooMong World War II carrier Intrepid Co New York City's Intrepid Museum Foundation yesterday. The foundation plans to create a floating air-sea-space museum by the end of the year. Lehman, in a Pentagon praised Zachary Fisher, the New York builder who heads the non-profit foundation. He also said that display of the ship at Hudson River Pier 86 South, at the foot of W. 46th is a "really outstanding' The Intrepid, commissioned in 1943, distin-.

guished itself in World War II and served three tours of Vietnam war duty in the Tonkin Golf. But in recent years, it has been tied up' at the Navy Yard. The ship will be towed to a Bayonne, shipyard this summer' for over hauling. Although it could take 10 years to complete the 'floating museum, when Intrepid opens its hatchways to visitors later this year, the initial exhibits -will cover two full decks. Among the features: A variety of planes on the flight deck.

1111 5 -S 1 Intrepid fier 900-foot bulk wilt accommodate ah air-sea-space museum here. Space Hall, highlighting reproductions of the lunar landing module and the space shuttle (the Intrepid was used for spacecraft recovery during the Mercury and Gemini space programs). A theater to "recapture the sensations of flight and carrier activity." A Pioneers Hall featuring a recreation of the first ship-borne landing of a plane, back in 191L Giheir sMe ft Dueir sini L1IJ 3 New Yorkers respond to her plight, pay for funeral the Glorious Church of God and Christ, 859 Halsey St, Brooklyn. Even while Bishop Perry Lindsay presided over the 90 minute funeral service, several strangers stopped at the church and left checks. Bishop Lindsay "blessed" The News for being the first to' run the story of the woman's plight -J On April 18, Mrs.

Washington got 8 call from a niece telling her that Charles had been seriously injured in a train accident He suffered severe electric shock when he fell on 4 3f By DINAH PRINCE and DANIEL O'GRADY A grieving mother from Alabama, overwhelmed by a $922 bill from a mortician who refused to conduct her son's funeral here without cash in hand, was touched yesterday by the generosity of many New Yorkers who chipped in to pay the son's last bill. With the help of lots of strangers, who read the story in the Daily News or heard about it on television, Betty Washington, who had borrowed money to come to New York from Bessemer, had enough money to pay for the funeral, to pay back what she had borrowed and to pay her way back home. Cash gifts totaled $1,350 late yesterday, and more was pledged. The distraught mother's financial problems worsened her grief when, she said, the Merritt Green Funeral Chapel at 415 Gates Brooklyn, said "they could not perform the ceremony unless we gave them the money." WILLIAM JEFFERSON, a spokesman for the home, also had told The News that the son, Charles Earl Washington 24, would not be buried unless the bill was paid. Jefferson said the 20-gauge steel coffin cost $497, embalming was $125, and $300 was being charged for "professional services" which he defined as the cost "for all our aggravation." Charles was buried with military honors yesterday in Calverton (L.L) National Cemetery after a funeral service at the tracks at Pennsylvania Station, she said.

THE BEREAVED MOTHER, who lives on Supplemental Security Income, a federal welfare program for the elderly, said she had to borrow $200 to make the trip to New York. Charles lapsed into a coma shortly after she reached his bedside at New York Hospital and he died last Thursday, without regaining consciousness. A spokesman for the Department of Consumer Affairs said that the grieving widow possibly could have saved more than $400 on the bill by shopping around. After Augl, funeral-home owners will be required by law to post price lists of all goods and services, have sticker prices on coffins, display inexpensive coffin models along with other models and provide price information over the telephone. A Health Department inspector, at the request of the state attorney general's office, will check out the Merritt Green Home, a spokesman said yesterday.

5 CO MOUNAW QMLV NEWS Betty Washington leaves her son's funeral, for which New Yorkers paid. And so England dozes while Bobby dies PROFESSIONAL fasting used to be limited to 40 days and the idea was to charge admission and not die. Bobby Sands, fasting in prison in Belfast, clearly is changing these rules. When he went to sleep last night he was finishing his 58th day -of starving. His intention is to go one day too many.

Most people think Army, had announced after the last hunger strike, the one that ended without death, that it had won. "They're saying that outside?" Sands said. "Yes," the priest said. "Fm not saying it inside," Sands said. "And we're the ones that are doing it" The priest said no more.

In his church in Northern Ireland there has been a debate among religious people as LU wueuiu oauua la lummui auiciuc, and thus a mortal sin, by starving himself to death. The same religious leaders who are clear abortion is a sin and that killing yourself by rope or gun is a sin make no proclamation on Bobby Sands' starvation. Similarly, the British government will not interfere. If Sands was to hang himself, the warders would race to cut him down and breathe life back into him. But they will do nothing to prevent him violence to follow probably will take many with him.

Oh, Sands must go on with his starving, for there are great principles involved. He wants the right not to do prison work in Belfast the right not to wear prison clothing and the right of free association with other prisoners unlocked doors during those hours when present rules call for him to be locked in because he refuses to work. The British, under Mrs. Thatcher, proclaim that they will not yield to such demands, that to do so would amount to giving political status to the IRA and turning the prisons over to an illegal organization. We will not Mrs.

Thatcher announces, assign control of the prisons to the prisoners. They would still be prisoners for years, yes, but this is not the issue. The issue, she says, is that the prison administration and the Warders are in charge of the prisons. Therefore, Sands, over the right to wear his own underpants rather than prison issue, starves toward death. IN NEW YORK YESTERDAY, an old friend, a priest from Belfast here on a rest was talking about the last time he had said Mass for Bobby Sands in prison.

It was a month ago, and he mentioned quietly to Sands that his organization, the Irish. Republican, that the great starving was done by Gandhi of 8 India. This is another ex-H ample of reputation out- growing performance: jj- Gandhi went only 21 "9 and mixed fruit 1 juice with his water. The Irish champion, Terence JMacSwiney, went for 74 days in 192L He did it one day too many. But 2 has death caused people to overtook the fact that JI.U1Y DBESLIH "NO FORCE-FEEDING HERE," the administrators say proudly, although force-feeding would consist only of a needle in the vein attached to a bottle or so of something called TPN.

But British wisdom in he, too, had been given fruit juke in his water or a time. NONE OF THIS FOB BOBBY Sand. He will accept no nourishment and heads for death, and the See Pag 20.