July 31, 2000

Federal appeals court in Virginia has ruled in favor of Spain, granting it ownership of two warships lost off state's coastline more than two centuries ago; ruling snatches ships away from Ben Benson, treasure hunter who estimated shipwrecks bore more than half-billion dollars in lost coins and precious metals; experts say shift in Spain's stance could end glory days of treasure hunting and beginning of time when Spain oversees recovery of its lost fleets in pursuit of cultural riches, historical insights and new respect for Spanish graves; Spain says victory marks start of aggressive effort to look after its old interests and, probably, team up for recovery work with coastal nations whose waters hold its sunken ships; Benson scores decision; may file appeal; photos; maps (M)

New York Times/CBS News Poll finds majority of delegates assembling for Republican National Convention in Philadelphia are notably conservative in thought and spirit, despite efforts of Gov George W Bush to portray Republican Party as increasingly moderate; finds that on most important issues delegates stand significantly to right of much of nation and even to right of rank-and-file Republican voters; most delegates delegates consider Bush conservative, if not necessarily as conservative as they consider themselves, and are overwhelmingly enthusiastic about his qualifications, political skills and chances against Vice Pres Al Gore in November; findings of poll detailed; chart; photo (M)

Phone Workers Threaten A Strike Against Verizon In what would be one of the biggest strikes in a decade, 85,000 telephone workers on the East Coast are threatening to walk out next weekend in a struggle that pits old-line labor against the New Economy. The workers are facing off with Verizon Communications -- the name that Bell Atlantic adopted last month after acquiring GTE -- in large part because they fear the company's widespread use of lower paid, nonunion workers in its fastest growing businesses, most notably wireless phones, will endanger the wages and benefits of unionized workers. [Page A1.]

Special report, Legally Insane, on release of Dennis Sweeney, who murdered former congressman Allard K Lowenstein in 1980 but was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to New York State mental institution; examines aspects of case, notably wholesale changes in use of insanity defense in US court cases since Lowenstein's murder; photos (L)

RKO pictures plans television mini-series based on original 131-minute shooting script Orson Welles used to make film The Magnificent Ambersons, which was later cut drastically by his studio; Alfonso Arau will direct series, to be released as film in Europe; effort represents rare television remake of film that failed commercially; photo (M)