SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549


                                   FORM 8-K


                                CURRENT REPORT
                      PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF
                      THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


        Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported):  July 9, 1998


                     E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
            (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)


            Delaware                   1-815              51-0014090
    (State or Other Jurisdiction     (Commission       (I.R.S Employer
         of Incorporation)           File Number)     Identification No.)


                              1007 Market Street
                          Wilmington, Delaware  19898
                   (Address of principal executive offices)


      Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (302) 774-1000



                                                                             










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Item 5.  Other Events
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        In connection with Debt and/or Equity Securities that 
may be offered on a delayed or continuous basis under 
Registration Statements on Form S-3 (No. 33-53327, No. 33-61339 
and No. 33-60069), we hereby file the following press release.


                                        Contact:  Susan Gaffney
                                                  (302) 774-2698



       DUPONT ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER EARNINGS SHORTFALL
       --------------------------------------------------


        Wilmington, Del., July 9 -- DuPont today announced
that it expects 1998 second quarter diluted earnings to be 
10-15 percent below the $.99 per share earned in the same period 
a year ago.
        About half of this shortfall is due to a sudden shift in 
June in the crop protection products business due to weather and 
competitive pricing pressures in North America combined with 
weak demand and currency translations in Asia.  The other half 
is made up of three key factors -- sharply lower oil prices, the 
General Motors strike and lower demand in the textile apparel 
industry.
        "Our earnings performance this quarter is unacceptable, 
and I have begun putting in place specific actions to improve 
second half performance," said Charles O. Holliday, Jr., DuPont 
president and CEO.




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        "We have strong underlying fundamentals in the chemicals 
and specialties businesses despite the impact of slower economic 
growth, the Asian financial crisis and dilution from 1997 
acquisitions.  However, unless we see an improvement in energy 
prices, we are unlikely to meet our objective of a fifth 
consecutive year of record earnings," said Holliday.
        I remain committed to successfully transforming DuPont 
into a highly profitable life sciences and materials company.  
Our strategy is in place, and in the last 90 days we have 
announced that we will exit the oil business, purchased Merck's 
share of our pharmaceuticals joint venture, and organized 
DuPont's chemicals and specialties businesses to aggressively 
implement differentiated strategies for long-term profitable 
growth," said Holliday.
        DuPont will announce second quarter 1998 earnings on 
July 22.

                                 # # #

7/9/98





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                                  SIGNATURE



          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf 
by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.





                                 E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
                                             (Registrant)




                                           /s/ D. B. Smith
                                 ------------------------------------
                                             D. B. Smith
                                         Assistant Controller




July 9, 1998

























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