The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1891-05-21
WINDOW-PANE SMASHES.
N Various Ways in Which the Glass
Is Broken.
Drunken Men. Street Arabs, Awkward
Dudes and Unsophisticated Country
men Play Havoc with Expen-
III. 'sive 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
Ds year, and the causes usually assigned
's 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
Ad ment which the above mentioned give
tn to the enterprise sinks into insignif-
=. canoe when compared with the whole
So & sale brealSage caused by drunken indi-
~ viduals.
III 1t is estimated that the annual losses
sp on window panes in this city, says the
- Louisville Courier-Journal, amount to
not less than four thousand dollars, and
that an average of two ont OF every one
I'll hundred glasses put in are broken.
rol Every one tries to be careful, and every
att precaution is used to prevent the win
dow-pane disaster, but it still continues
=; that skylights are broken, display win
dows and showcases are smashed and
plate-glass entrances kicked in, but in
jill most cases no one can tell who does it,
On or how it is done. Several firms who
If make it their business to fit glasses and
ne repair broken windows were seen, and,
he without exception, they each stated that
q not one out of hundred culprits was
. ever discovered. A man staggers, the
glass is shattered, but the author of the
crash is seldom caught. The country
70, man walks through the mirror, the
Nj street Arab continues to use powders
e 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
'it in order to impress them with sense OF
vi their carelessness, they were arrested
,ig and charged with house-breaking.
II These cases were, however, dismissed,
r, as it was discovered in court that the
charge of housekeeping was not adj
- vanced for the gooId o. the public or the
y individual, but was placed against the
: offenders in order to secure the felony
!: feefor the arresting officers.
The window pane disaster seldom
= arises to the dignity of misfortune,
z except when plate-glass store window
Y or an engraved glass entrance is sacri-
il feed to awkwardness or drunkenness.
W my set. of books" said one glass-titter,
T is register of drunken ness, and when
4. / am sent for to repair window, in
e nine cases out OF ten II can guess the
e cause. Strange as it may seem there is
!" more breakage in saloons and fashiona-
o. BILE residences than in any other class
of buildings" The most destructive ele-
q ment to window panes and glassware in
general exists in beer, whisky and wine.
Statistics show that at least one-half Of
. the breakage is due to this cause. In
! most cases plate glass sheets which are
q usually found in saloons are broken by
thrown bottles and glasses. The drunk
en- assailant generally misses his aim,
and the mirror or window is sacrificed
TO his rage.
Next in order to spirits and their in
fuences Is the small boy. OF the
small boy species, the school-boy
plays q significant part with his
uairguns and base-balls, but his eff
Sofort to break every thing within his
ureach is surpassed by the street Arabs,
othe newsboy and the bootblack. When
o not busy they are engaged in throwing
n stones, or shooting ''slugs" at English
,sparrows. One-fourth of the damage
to glassware is attributed to the small
boy, with a slight assistance from the
small girl.
Wind and thunder often strip the win
,dows Of their glass, or shatteri them to
pieces. Glass doors and open skylights
are the usual victims of the wind Ice
and snow add their aid, and often cause
the most graceful men and women to
capsize, and land in show window.
q 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
awkwardness of employees, while wash
ing or cleaning windows. Some serious
losses have been reported during the
past year Of porter, q step-ladder, or
both falling through a glass front. II
the loss Is charged to the porter, he
.f AOSAo oAAoe AAS haS aahpiy pau iOI ~ III
the bruises sustained in the fall, and re-
signs HIS situation. "A not unfrequent
cause Of the window-pane tragedy,
i and one which might come under the
head Of ssspirits,p 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
countryman who shot at a stuffed
panther in . display window. Another
one reported was farmer who stopped
to see dummy make speech in toy
shop window. The dummy continued
to point at him, and finally, becoming
enraged at thus being pointed out, he
threw bowlder through the window
at the inoffensive orator. The most in
excusable slaughter of glassware occurs
when slight blaze has been detected
in the rear of some store. A thousand
dollar glass front is often broken in to
admit the firemen. A great many Of
the windows along the river front have
been shattered by the explosions in the
river improvement, or in the residences
in the vicinity Of stone quarries.
Some Of the less frequent, but most
unfortunate cases are caused by the
dude, who is unable to change the posi-
tiOu Of his cane mr. nm hre3 1 m m ctapn;nr