Newsday (Nassau Edition) from Hempstead, New York • 22

APPEARED IN EARLIER EDITIONS STATE CITY Phone Strike Still On; Talks Continue New York (AP) New Yorkers went without directory assistance in all but emergencies yesterday as a strike involving nearly 40,000 phone workers dragged through a third day. New York Telephone Co. backed off from earlier indications that the talks were near a settlement, and the Communications Workers of America said the company had been overly optimistic. Negotiations continued. Elsewhere, about 1,000 workers continued to strike US West Direct, the publishing arm of Denver-based US West and a few hundred workers in Ohio stayed away from their jobs at Ameritech Publishing Inc.

The scattered work stoppages are the final conflicts resulting from efforts by the seven regional Bell telephone companies, or "Baby Bells," to reach new contracts replacing the ones that expired Saturday at midnight. The rest of the 310,000 members of the CWA working for the Baby Bells have reached tentative agreements or agreed to work while talks continue. New York Telephone a subsidiary of NYNEX employs most of the 37,000 CWA members on strike in New York State, according to union spokesman Bob Master. About 850 CWA members employed by New England Telephone Co. are on strike in Massachusetts, and 150 are striking in New Hampshire.

New York Telephone spokesman Tony Pappas said late Monday that negotiators had reached agreement on major contract issues, including wages and pensions. But yesterday, company spokesman Steven Marcus declined to characterize the talks except to say, "We're still hopeful and encouraged." Hirschfeld Testifies In Fight Over Ballot Albany (AP) Millionaire developer Abraham Hirschfeld took the witness stand yesterday in his fight against Gov. Mario Cuomo's attempt to force him off the September Democratic primary ballot for lieutenant governor. "I tried to follow the laws to the best of my ability," said the 66-year-old Manhattan developer as he appeared in the trial-level state Supreme Court. Cuomo forces, attempting to provide a clear path to the lieutenant governor's nomination for Rep.

Stanley Lundine, have charged that Hirschfeld's nominating petitions are rife with fraud and forgery. The Cuomo-Lundine camp went to court after the state Board of Elections ruled that Hirschfeld had enough valid signatures. Lundine, Cuomo's choice for the job, got on the ballot as the nominee of the state Democratic convention, skipping the time-consuming and expensive petition process. In court, lawyers for the CuomoLundine camp repeatedly asked Hirschfeld if he had made large payments to people in return for a certain number of signatures on petitions. The candidate denied doing so.

Hirschfeld did testify that he had paid $5,000 to an official at the Continental Democratic Club in New York City to help collect signatures, but he denied having told a campaign aide that the money was for 10,000 signatures and that "50 cents a signature is While state law permits a candidate to pay people to collect signatures, it prohibits payments that are based on the number of signatures. Hirschfeld also told state Supreme Court Justice Vincent Bradley that the last few hours before the petitions were due to be mailed to the state Board of Elections were chaotic at the Hirschfeld headquarters in New York. "I came in at about 5:15 and nothing was said Hirschfeld of the approaching July 10 midnight deadline for having the petitions postmarked. "I began helping with everything. I was going like a chicken without a head." No decision is expected until later this week or sometime next week.

Lundine has said he does not believe he will appeal the decision if Bradley rules against him, but such a move has not been ruled out by the Cuomo camp. Judge's Bribe Conviction Upheld by Appeals Court By Gerald McKelvey New York A federal appeals court yesterday affirmed the conviction of former Queens State Supreme Court Justice William C. Brennan on charges of taking $50,000 in bribes to fix four criminal cases. Brennan, who began serving a 5- year prison term on March 17, had argued to the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals that the prosecution wrongly had been allowed to read to the trial jury testimony that a key government witness, Anthony Bruno, the bagman for the bribes, had given to the grand jury indicting Brennan.

Bruno was arrested. for his part in the scam on March 7, 1985. Almost immediately, he wis turned by the government and made three appearances before the federal grand jury, the first on March 22. He first told the grand jury that he intended to shake down criminal defendants, with Brennan's help. Master said the union spent much of yesterday cooling down hopes created by "the rather overoptimistic statements of the company last night, that a settlement was imminent." Callers for directory assistance in New York had to wait several minutes during business hours as managers filled in for striking operators.

Callers heard a recording telling them to check their directories for listings unless their calls were urgent. Marcus said there were fewer calls than usual for directory assistance. In Ohio, about 140 employees of Ameritech Publishing Inc. failed to report for work yesterday because the company did not agree to formally extend the old contract during negotiations. Union spokesman Michael Perri said CWA members also stayed away from work in Akron and Columbus, even though a strike had not been called.

1 ISLAND ADVENTURE Photo by Elena Seibert The Island Adventure leaves Pier 11 with some of its first passengers From Roosevelt Island, Ship-to-Shore re Service By Van A. Hayden New York After 10 years of living on Roosevelt Island, Sandy Chen's ship came in yesterday. no question. This is definitely better than the subway," Chen said as she and her daughter Jodi stood on the deck of the ferry Island Adventure, which began service from the island to Wall Street yesterday. For at least the next two months, the vessel, which can carry up to 300, will shuttle morning and evening rush-hour passengers between Roosevelt Island and Pier 11, three blocks from the heart of the financial district.

After a two-month trial, the ferry service will be evaluated, said William Eimicke, the state housing director and chairman of the Roosevelt Island Operating which chose Casco Bay Lines to operate the ferry. Fewer than 25 passengers rode the 5:25 p.m. shuttle to the island, but the of boat's owner and pilot, Capt. Petros Kontaratos, is confident business will improve as word of it spreads. "You have to treat people right, and if they like it, you make it.

If they don't, you're finished," Kontaratos said. He needs to take in $37,000 each month to break even, he said. The commuters aboard the boat said the $2.50 one-way fare was a bargain even though it costs 50 cents more than tram and subway fare. The ferry trip takes about 35 minutes compared with an hour by tram and train. a "You get free coffee in the morning, can read the newspaper without people bumping into you how can you beat it?" asked David Drimer, who works for the Journal of Commerce.

The ferry operates three morning and two late afternoon runs Monday through Friday. Train Accident A Marine Disaster Peekskill (UPI) Three New Jersey men survived an unexpected end to their weekend outing when their cabin cruiser washed ashore from the Hudson River Sunday night and was struck by a Metro-North train, officials said yesterday. The accident happened at 11:15 p.m. Sunday as the 10:26 p.m train from Poughkeepsie to Croton was two miles north of the Peekskill station. Metro-North spokesman Tito Davila said railroad police reported that the boat washed ashore because of a storm and ended up on the tracks.

Train personnel saw the boat on the tracks and tried to stop before the train struck the boat. The three men were not hurt but the boat, a 1985 Chris-Craft, was destroyed. No one on the train was injured. The three men were identified as boat owner Roger Strella of Hewitt, N.J., and Louis Cuglietta and Barry Browne, both of Ramsey, N.J. NEWSDAY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST In his second appearance, on April 2, he told the grand jury that he had lied and that the purpose indeed was to collect bribes in return for a fix from Brennan.

At trial, Brennan's attorney insisted that the first version that the bribery was nothing more than a con by Bruno was the truth and that Bruno subsequently lied to ingratiate himself with the government. The trial judge, Jack B. Weinstein of U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, allowed the prosecution to read the grand jury testimony to clarify a potential misimpression to the trial jury that in his first appearance to the grand jury Bruno in no way had implicated Brennan. Brennan's attorney for the appeal, Paul B.

Bergman, argued that allowing the grand jury testimony to be read to the trial jury impermissibly allowed the government to bolster its case against Brennan. 65 9861 on 3 as.