The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-21


Are Deemed Necessary-The New York
Grocers' Observation-Disclosures Stat
istics for Horsemen.
Probably no kind Of property in this
town is so easy to invest in and so easy TO
lose in as horses" said former officer OF
live stock insurance company that recently
went TO smash. "Horse life insurance has
been disastrous to every capitalist who has
touched il until within short time, and,
after taking advantage of experience gain
ed in both Europe and America, horse life
insurance is still an experiment In Eu-
rope horse life insurance has been tried for
more than 100 years, with fair share of
success to the investors in the enterprise.
In this country it has been conducted on
various plans, and many of the schemes
have failed to meet the end for which they
were designed. Though not over dozen
years have elapsed since the lives of horses
were insured on a large scale in New York
city there have been thirteen failures of
insurance companies. There are only two
horse life insurance companies, believe,
having their main Offices in town. A live
stock insurance company in Buffalo has
branch agency in town. but it does not do
a raft Of business. 1t is probably shy Of
any but the choicest risks, such as family
carriage horses and well kept business
horses doing light draught service.
REASONS FOR FAILURES.
"The reasons why there have been so
many failures Of horse life insurance COM
panies are undoubtedly because the COM
panies tried to insure horses too cheaply,
and also because the companies officers
tried TO ape the human life insurance COM
panies and impress the community by set
ting up business in big offices, with plate
glass fronts and gilt lettering, while big
salaries were paid to agents and fat plums
fell to the lot of the officers themselves.
There are now only two companies of any
size that underwrite horses in town, and a
bitter rivalry exists between them. One
company is up town and the other down
town. The uptown Office is chartered
under the insurance laws of the state,
while the downtown company was organ
lied under chapter POI Of the laws of 1885,
providing for the creation of mutual bene-
fit associations. Both are mutual benefit
associations.
Bitter experience in the way of heavy
losses in insuring horses has led to the
adoption of a rigorous ruling out as mad
m 5sible for insurance purposes large
class of horses No company will insure
car horses, livery horses, contractors
horses, race horses or any fancy priced
horses. Other horses barred are runa-
ways, blind horses, cribbers, horses with
heaves or blind staggers or mad staggers
cab horses, omnibus horses and business
horses. Owners are required to declare
whether their horses have had pinkeye,
collie, heaves, lung fever, poll evil, distem-
per, mad staggers, bad sight, SPAWN, con-
Jracted hoofs or ringbone.
Each Of the insurance companies has a
veterinary surgeon in its employ who
hammers on the horses chests, looks into
their mouths and puts the animals through
as thorough a test Of their physical health
as men undergo in a life insurance COM
pany's medical examination. The price
for an examination is usually S.
animals from one TO twelve years are
insurable for terms of three years, over
twelve years old only from year TO year.
Insurance is confined practically to mules
and carriage horses not worth over $500
and not less than 500. No insurance GER
tifcate can be had now, believe, for more
than three-fourths the value of the animal.
The downtown company, moreover, has
big pasture containing fifteen acres or
more of good land not far from Williams
bridge where horses are sent to pasture in
summer. Horses only get oats a-plenty
when they are suffering from overwork or
nervous prostration The resort is free to
insured horses. Wioh the consent of the
company one horse may be substituted for
another-that Is, the policy may be trans
ferred from one horse to another. Inspect
ors make regular rounds among the in
sured horses and report their condition at
the compauy's Office. That has been found
TO be a necessary course TO pursue in order
that unscrupulous owners may be pre-
vented from poisoning a horse when he
is in poor health, 50 that he may get
The horse insurance. Owners Of horses
must motif he company if they change
their place s-iaence.
TN GROCEES' ORGANIZATION
as it W .th while to insure a horse' l
think so if you are lucky enough to own
an insurable horse. The way the COM
panies are insuring you will have to pay
only per cent. annually on the value of
the horse for your insurance policy. 4
curious experiment IN horse insurance has
been tried for year 10y the Retail Grocers'
union Of this town, an organization Of
about 900 members. Inside of the union a
ruary, 1890, and ~ per cent. was collected
on the amount for which each horse was
insured, while losses were sustained pro
rata by the members in the scheme. \
yearly examination fee of s. was charged,
81 to he retained If the horse should not be
accepted. No horse was insured for over
g per cent. OF its value.
Most horse owners are satisfied if they
insure their stables for a good sum, imag
lining that most of the danger to their stock
dying suddenly is in The direction Of fire. 1
Some interesting statistics have been col /
lected. Hear them and then decide for 4
yourself whether horses should be insured. /
OF sO4 insured horses that died in five 1
wears and We're paid for by Que Of the in /
surance companies 1873 died CT collie, q of /
inflammation of the bowels, Il of kidney /
trouble 81 of pneumonia, - of sunstroke, 1
80 of piukeye 30 OF lockjdw. p OF broken /,
legs, u of epizsatc. 10 of heart disease, 1 /
Of blind stal-,ls. . killed by runaways, 1 I
were drowned. were killed by lightning, /
l3S died Of unknown diseases, ana only 5 I.
we're burned. Probably more than $50 /
OOO.000 is invested IN New York state in 4
live stock on which no insurance Is carried /
for loss by disease or accident other than /
by fire, and the estimated loss viii be % /.
per cent, if not more than that, in ten 4
years. There are tweuty-three times 4
greater risk of a horses dying of collie than 4
10y fire, three times greater risk of dying \
from broken legs, five times greater risk I
from lockjaw, nine times greater risk from 4
Inflammation of the bowels. and six times 4
greater risk from pneumonia. The risk /
from all causes is Lightweight times great-
er than from death by hre--New York |
sun.