 

... yphedby, NOC. Auge 28.—Kight
persons were killed, fifteen in-
jured and ajl undetermined num
.ber are missing fin the collapse. of
the First National bank building
during a rush hour ‘today.

The, death toll may jrise three
hours after the -erash ‘workmen
had been able to clear away the
anly at the edge of thy

 

 

 

   

 

  

The known dead are; Miss Ora
Ethridge, seeretary to the bank.
president; Guy Green, bank clerk;
Boyd, bank clerk; Del) Blan-
ton, a farmer; Carl Blahton, his
‘son; two unidentified white men,
and an tiidentified negro,

Police .estimuted. the’ death,-toll
Would ‘mount steadily as rescue
crtws dug flecper into the debris
in the search df bedies. '

No Accurate Check. +

Nozpeenrate, check, “codild » be
jraade of the missing persons, but.
hit was known that a dozen or more
had not been, accounted , for.

! Early this afternoon the etews
‘hail searched only the edges of
the huge pile of debris, and it was
feared: many more Wodics would
be found: teward| the center.

Tt was. feared \that a crew of
‘seventern negroes|who were work-
ing incthe center\of the buildin;
all wert, killed....T. OSCUG. CLEW!
had "ngt* been ahle! as yet to pet
to thé/piaee wiere the negros: had
been jorking.

It. was. known that fifteen per-
sons were injured, several of
whom may dic. They were all
[taken to a hospital here as they
were extricated: from the Lal
structure, oa

Excavation work at aciearby
“building was gencrally! assigned
us the cause: of the collapse of
the bank buildings "It was known
that several pefsons wert: in a
i grocery store and ‘h-tailor’s shop
which were a ‘part of the build-
; (hg, but it was—expected: ‘to che
| hours befate t part of tm:
tstructure—eould—pe-searched d-ther
oughly. » at Beak 5,

   
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

  

 

 

 
 
WASHINGTON (UPI) — President
Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid I.
Brezhnev pledged today to avoid military
confrontations and threats of force that
might lead to nuclear war between their
two nations.

In a policy declaration, the leaders of the
two nuclear superpowers agreed to ‘‘im-
mediately enter into urgent consultations
with each other’’ should the risk of a
nuclear conflict arise.

Nixon and Brezhnev signed the
agreement —the eighth since the start of
their summit talks —in a ceremony in the
East Room of the White House a few hours
before their scheduled departure aboard
the presidential jetliner for San Clemente,
Calif., for the conclusion of their week-long
conference.

In the agreement, the two leaders
promised that the United States and the
Soviet Union ‘‘will act in such a manner as
to prevent the development of situations
capable of causing a dangerous
exacerbation of their relations, as to avoid
military confrontations, and to exclude the
outbreak of nuclear war between them and
between either of the parties and other
countries.”’

The accord also calls for the signatories
to proceed from the premise that each will
refrain ‘‘from the threat or use of force
against the other party, against the allies
of the other party, and against other
countries, in circumstances which may en-
danger international peace and security.”’

In advance of the signing, Nixon briefed
congressional leaders of both parties on
the declaration, which is a statement of
policy —not a treaty — and therefore does
not require Senate ratification.
 Presidential adviser Henry A. Kissinger
said the intent of the doctrine was ‘‘to
prevent the outbreak of nuclear war.”’

The decision of the two leaders to hold a
third summit conference in as many years
was announced at a lavish banquet at the
Soviet Embassy. In a jovial atmosphere,
Nixon and Brezhnev dined and toasted
each other after signing pacts earlier in
the day to speed nuclear arms negotiations
and cooperate in research on peaceful uses
of nuclear energy.
 