The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-09-09
ACCIDENTS BRING MONEY
The Constantly Growing Demand for
Policies in That Line of Insurance.
A Business that Met with but Little Favor at
the Outset, but Thousands Now Through 1t
Provide Against Probable Misfortunes.

Accident insurance is branch OF business in
this country which is just beginning to assume
proportions Of Importance. For many years
companies carrying fire risks fourished and life
insurance prevailed everywhere. but purely acct
dent companies were scarcely heard Of man
was given plenty Of opportunities to insure his
house against FIRE, and to pay for a policy,
the proceeds from which would be of no benefit
to him personally, but it seemed never to occur
to him to provide against accident which,
while not fatal in its effects. would disable him
from labor for some time. Gradually, however,
the practicability Of this line of insurance be-
came manifest, and accident insurance compa-
MES, with the special object of insuring passen-
gers on railroad trains, have been in existence
for some time and YET an agent Of one of
the more progressive organizations Of the
kind calls attention to the fact
that a man is safer. according to statistics, upon
o railroad train, than upon the streets OF large
city. ''You are more likely" said he, ''to meet
with an accident which will disable you while
going about your regular business. or upon the
streets OF q city, than while riding on the mod
err railway train
The same gentleman, in speaking Of the histo-
mated in England. There, said he. "they have
q law compelling the people to take out such
policies. On that account You will find the
owner of big factory there with Insur
ance for every man in his employ. In that
way, if one of his men 10 hurt while at work,
the loss falls not on him, but on the insurance
company. That is in strange contrast with our
system here. where, IL = man is injured. he goes
to court with damage suit in order to obtain
recompense for his loss of wages and the disa-
bility he suffers"
lis accident insurance growing In this couu-
try he was asked
VERY rapidly. In fact it is Just catch
ing on, and it is bound to become
very popular. because of its cheap
ness We are making out from ten TO
dozen policies in our Office day. think that
at least ten thousand men in this city carry nc
cidsnt policies IL is a great thing for workmen
in factories, who are thus fortified against hard
ship in case they meet with an accident.
II they are laid up for any reason
we supply their wants and the
needs of their families during that time. They
also find it a convenience - them at times in
telephone and asked if 30 and so is insured by
us and Is good for grocery bill. and, IL We say
yes the man gets his groceries, where he would
not be able TO otherwlse.'
as your custom confined to laboring msnl'
.'By no means. We sell policies to everyone
We too. get large railroad trade At the time
of tas Chicago convention 1 think that three ont
OF four OF those who went from here bought &C
cidsnt tickets"
Mr. Georges Rech, the local ticket agent of the
Pennsylvania lines, was ticket-seller at toe
Union Depot for q number of years. During
that time he had charge, also of the sale of acct
dent insurance. tickets. and he says that not
more than one a day was sold on an average to
all the host Of travellers who purchased trans
portation tickets in this great center of travel
Moreover he knew Of but two passengers in all
that time who presented tickets and claimed
damages One of these a printer who had
been compelled TO lay of for a couple of weeks
because OF cinder having gotten into his eye
while he was making the trip on which he held
an accident ticket. The ticket called for re
muneration at the rate of Sl5 per week while the
holder was disabled and $50 therefore made the
company even with the printer. On another oc-
casion a passenger who bad bought an accident
ticket At the Union depot here attempted 10 get
of n train az some station in northern Indiana,
before 10 had come 10 full stop, and was in
Jared so as to incapacitate him for work fer