The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-16
BROKEN GLASS.
Havoc Wrought by the Boys on
the Street Lamps.
The Secretary of the Gas Company Says 25,-
600 Annual Breakages Are Due to the
Boys slingshots.
SmashI craShiI

Smash! crash!I
Only daily, hourly occurrence. A small
boy has sent a stone crashing through a
gas lamp on the corner of Sacramento and
Laguna streets, and then, seeing that he
was observed, made off up the street. The
boy, no doubt, meant no particular harm.
The lamp glass possesses special attractions
as target. There is considerable virtue in
an old tin can set on end, and much may be
said for ''to let" sign.
But the lamp glass, with the CLINT of the
sun on it, set at convenient height, with the
con seriousness thrown in that a successful
shot will be followed by the crash of the
broken glass form Il combination that no
boy can resist.
Years afterwards that boy may become
famous. He may be written about as the
Ward of his d ay, and The baseball cranks
may go wild about his rifie-Shot throwing
from third to first. Few of the crowds will
give a thought to the fact that lie owes base
ball to considerable gas company that has
set up at short intervals effective targets on
which he may develop his latent skin.
IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT.
The gas company sees the matter in a
different light To them it means something
is of far more moment, increased work for
the lamp-lighiers, and, as consequence, a
larger force of employees than would other
wise be necessary.
Secretary William G. Barnett of the San
Francisco Gas Company gurte0uSly gave a
CALL reporter the following Information on
the gas c0mpany's side of the question:
81 cannot tell you now many lights, or
panes, the company have to replace in the
year. To do so would require q consider
able overhauling of the books, for we do not
keep an exact record. But | can tell you
how many boxes OF glass we have ordered
and used since January LIST. These came to
eighty boxes; there are fifty lights in each
box, which would give 1900 panes as the
amount broken and replaced during those
two months. l should say this is a fair
average. Probably $1,000 panes or more
have to be replaced each year.
SURPRISING FIGURES.
Inquiries at f. Ii. ROSenbaum g. Co., who
supply The glass Tor the San Francisco Gas
Company, led TO the information that 'the
gas cumpany's bill for glass during 1890
amounted to S13O0. Two sizes of glass are
supplied The cost of the glass for the
doors and sides is So 10 box, while the
glass for the tops costs 81 II a box. Ne9rly
an equal number of each is furnished. and
a short calculation will give about 40 boxes
or %, 800 paGes of glass US the amount used
by the conn any during the last year.
" ' cry few OF our lamps" SAID Mr.. Bar
rett further, "are broken except those
smashed by boys. The stOne-lhrowing is
bad enough, but we suffer most of all from
the sling-shots. | can't say that l have
noticed that the breakageS are worse at one
time of the year than another. But am
sure that when the sllDg-shot season comes
round in due succession to the top and
marble seasons the averages would go up.
Most of the breakages are reported from
the Western Addition and the southern
districts, though there are quite enough in
the northern. The breakages seem to occur
like an epidemic.
PLAYING FAVoRITEs.
.'For some time comparatively few are re-
ported, and then the lamps will have hard
time Of it. Particular lamps, too, enjoy
curious ups and downs. A lamp will 90 for
two or three years unframed, and then we
shall not be able to keep pane OF glass IN
it for days ut Il time.
"Our system is for the lamp-lighters to re-
place the broken glass. Nearly any night
you could see the lamp-lighters starting out
on their rounds with stacks Of glass under
arms.
''As to remedy. we are almost helpless.
Two or three boys are caught during the
year, aud dismissed with n reprimand.
Sometimes the neighbors report that a boy
has been breaking glass, but the boy says it
was a single pane, and an accident, and we
have to let him go. Tie nuisance, how
ever. is great enough to call for strong steps
to check IT.