ROME DAILY AMERICAN Tuesday, September 28, 1954 Windshield 'Cancer' Epidemic Moving To Northern Italy Mysterious windshield explosions in Italy have followed a "hurricane path" of shattering glass across the ress surnd yester- day appeared heading north. A United P its first startings that north Piedmont last June unexplainable car-windshield ex- plosion have moved to Rome and then started north again, with the last case being noted one week ago at Modena, on the southern edge of the Po River valley. In its wake the mystery has left sources of stunned motorists, many cut by glass, describing the pheno- menon to puzzled authorities. They were driving along, sober folk with nothing unusual visible before them, when suddenly-crash! The "exploded" windshield splint- ers into a thousand pieces, crashing into their laps and often cutting the hands and face. More than once a serious crackup has been narrowly averted. What causes it? No one seems to know. Italians call it "cancer of the windshield." In its course across Italy, the "disease," which first appeared to strike American motorists in northwest U.S., has spread from automobiles to include streetcars and houses. It has occurred by day and night and seems unrelated to weather, speed or age of vehicle. Following its June appearance in the Italian Piedmont, where it struck four cars in an area of a hundred miles, the epidemic mov- ed east and south, hit Rome a week later. The phenomenon then mov- ed north, blasting the front glass of a big red tourist bus in Genoa. Latest case, still further north, was the literal explosion of the windshield glass of Dr. Martino Fa- rinetti at Modena. Dr. Farinetti, en route to a clinic, was cut in the face and momentarily lost control of the car. Attempting to brake to a stop, he spun around and nearly went over in a ditch.