Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 310, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 December 1913 — HAPPENINGS IN THE CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAPPENINGS IN THE CITIES

Foolish Doings on the Roof of a Big Building

CLEVELAND, O.—“From.the window by my desk,” said the man whose office is numerous floors above the Street. “I can look across to the roof of a Euclid avenue building that must be about ten stories higfi. There is no

inducement to look; quite the contrary. For every noon there are fqelish doings on that roof. “I suppose they are boys, junior clerks and other youngsters who work in the building. After lunching they seem to feel as playful as kittens. At any rate, they go up on the roof every noon and cavort around. They go in for any sort of horseplay that occurs to them. Sometimes they give imitations of a ball game; other times it’s a prize fight. r-, “Now there’s a low ledge ajong one side of the roof and a taller building oh the other. But at the back there’s a straight droop of several stories with no more guardrail than an eave'trough. That’s where the boys find it convenient to do their acrobatics and dramatics. . “The Other day I was watching then? in mingled

horror and disgust One boy was amdsing anothejK with impersonations of great ball players. He" imitated a pitcher winding up and hurling ’em over. Then he went through the motions of a time at bat. that 116 did a little . base running and it struck him as an intelligent and appropriate thing to do to show Jackson or Cobb slide to second. I “I don’t know whether the roof was more slippery than he thought or he merely wasn’t capable of thinking. But he slid right to the corner df the unprotected edge. I turned my head, as I wouldn’t care to see even a ©lamed idiot killed. A few seconds later t£ie youth was safely back in the middle of the roof. He and his companion seemed to think that was enough exercise in tl*3 open air for qpe noon. “But the next day they,* or others, were at it again. They do it every day and their favorite diversion seems to be sparring, or a good-natured and mild imitation of rough-and-tumble fighting. I suppose one of them will sidestep off the edge some day and then his parents will sue the building company for $50,000 on grounds of negligence. I only hope I don’t happen to be a witness.” ,