The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-01-15
WINDOw-PANE SMASHES
Various Ways In Which the Glass
Is Broken.
Drunken Men. Street Arabs, Awkward
Dudes and Unsophisticated Country
men Play Havoc with Expen-
sive Lights.

men Play Havoc with Expen-
slve Lights.
The fact that insurance agencies are
being started in all the larger cities for
the purpose of indemnifying owners Of
window glasses in case of accidental
breakage, caused an interesting in
vestigation as to the proportionate
number of glasses broken during the
year, and the causes usually assigned
for the smash-up. Animals and men.
women and children all assist in caus-
ing the organization of this novel
branch of business, but the encourage
ment which the above mentioned give
to the enterprise sinks into insignif-
canoe when compared with the whole
sale brealage caused by drunken indi-
viduals.
It is estimated that the annual losses
on window panes in this city, says tho
not less than four thousand dollars, and
that an average Of two out Of every one
hundred glasses put in are broken.
Every one tries to be careful, and every
precaution is used to prevent the win
tdow-pane disaster, but it still continues
that slkylights are broken, display win
.dows and showcases are smashed and
plate-glass entrances kicked in, but in
most cases no one can tell who does it,
or how it is done. Several firms who
make it their business to fit glasses and
repair broken windows were seen, and,
without exception, they each stated that
90 &c
ever discovered. A man staggers, the
glass is shattered, but the author of the
crash is seldom caught. The country
man walks through the mirror, the
street Arab continues to use bowlders
and the bashful lover to bow through
the plate-glass window, but none are
held responsible for the accident.
A few instances have lately come out
in which the culprits were caught, and
in order to impress them with sense Of
their carelessness, they were arrested
and charged with breaking.
These cases were, however, dismissed,
rs it was discovered in court that the
charge of house-breaking was not ad-
vanced for the good of the public or the
individual, but was placed against the
offenders in order to secure the felony
3eefor the arresting officers.
The window pane disaster seldom
arises to the dignity Of misfortune,
except when plate-glass store window
tor an engraved glass entrance is sacr3-
aced to awkwardness or drunkenness.
"My set Of books" said one glass-fatter,
Is register Of drunken ness, and when
] am sent for to repair window, in
mine cases out Of ten can guess tho
cause. Strange as it may seem there u
more breakage in saloons and fashions
BILE residences than in any other class
OF buildings" The most destructive ele-
,ment to window panes and glassware In
general exists in beer, whisky and wine.
Statistics show that at least one-haH Of
khe breakage is due to this cause. In
most cases plate glass sheets which are
usually found in saloons are broken by
thrown bottles and glasses. The drunk
on assailant generally misses his aim,
and the mirror or window is sacrificed
to his rage.
/, Next in order to spirits and their in
tAuences is the small boy. OF the
small boy species, the school-boy
plays a significant part with his
airguns and base-balls, but his ef-
fort to break every thing within his
.feach is surpassed by the street Arabs,
the newsboy and the bootblack. When
not busy they are engaged in throwing
stones, or shooting ''slugs" at English
sparrows. One-fourth of the damage
to glassware is attributed to the small
boy, with slight assistance from tho
small girl.
Wind and thunder often strip the win
dows of their glass, or shatter them to
pieces. Glass doors and open sAylights
ere the usual victims Of the wind. lee
and snow add their aid, and often cause
the most graceful men and women to
lcapsize, and land in show window.
The electric cars are not an insignificant
cause, for horses have lately been
known to pass through highly pol
ished plate, or demolish an expensive
showcase to avoid this blind power.
Many glasses are broken through the
iawkwardness Of employees, while wash
Ding or cleaning windows. Some serious
losses have been reported during the
past year of a porter, step-ladder, or
both falling through glass front. If
the loss is charged to the porter, he
feels that he has amply paid for it in
the bruises sustained in the fall, and re-
signs his situation. A not unfrequent
cause of the window-pane tragedy,
and one which might come under the
head of Spirits" is the enraged hus-
band, who comes home tipsy or else has
forgotten his night key. When his wife
refuses to be aroused, he takes his
palace by storm, and afterwards pays
the cost of his war.
One of the strangest cases reported
during the past year was that Of q
1countryman who shot at stuffed
panther in display window. Another
One reported was farmer who stopped
Ito see dummy make speech in toy
shop window. The dummy continued
TO point at him, and finally, becoming
>r~ouoA ~ <h.no I,o;r<v v1os-<aI <~,,< L.