The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-21
FIRE INSURANCE
Annual Meeting of the
Underwriters.
The Topics of Consideration Include
Several r1atters of Interest TO
the General Public.

The Fire Underwriters of the Pacific assem-.
bed Yesterday in eighteenth annual session,
ana held a meeting all ny themselves, 10 the eX-
clusion of the press and the public. Mr.. Sic
pnen ID. Ives OF the Firem ans Fund AssOcia-
hon presided and Mr.. L. w. Osborn of Brown,
Craig x Co. acted as secretary. morning
gathering was held al 10 o'clock at which
various matters of private concern were con
sideTed. The afternoon was set down for hear
ing ana discussing papers on various topics.
Edward Brown, Franklin Bangs, q. 2. Low and
other prominent insurance men were on lie
slate for these papers, but their subjects were
announced 10 be purely technical and Of no
popular interest Mr. Low, for instance, was
TO say something concerning an International
association OF underwriters formed for tile pur-
pose of regulating the electric wiring OF houses,
1.-The thing which when faulty done is re-
sponsible for the abnormal increase in late
years of tires from unknown causes and the
enormous losses consequent thereto" Mr.. +.
II. SWEET also was to have a word with regai u
10 "WhO owns the Insurance, or What does
an insurance policy inSure-a mans interest in
d given property or The properly ltself?' An
anonymous writer was TO say something con
corning The legality of special contracts, ana
Mr.. Bangs 10 discuss classification"
These were given forth as subjects for whose
consideration The pubic has no care. SO i
body OF 100 or more underwriters dellbeIated
over them for three hours all alone ana, when
lOuTned 10 do tile same thing from 10 O'Clock
until > +. VI. to-day.
The substance OF Mr.. Lows paper was as fol-
lows: There exists III America an organiZa-
ton among underwriters known as the Uuder-
writer's International Electric Association. II
was formed year or more ago by The Efforts OF
TWO pramlnenJ fire insurance men OF New Eng
land, who, as electrical inspectors mad come 10
realize The necessity of ferretlng our every pos
SlDle IRE hazard OF electricity, OF Gnlarging tile
field from which information concerning these
haZords could be obtained ana Of formulating
requirements ia regard TO them.
sit enhsts IN lis membership every important
insurance company having primary jurisdiction
III The UnIted States and IN Canada. Its list OF
officers and members contains the names of
some of the best-knOwn insurance men, and
nearly all The underwriters electricians in the
country. The association IS deliberately organ
lied Tor the collection OF statistics. Through
local inspectors every fiIe of electrical origin Is
reported TO il and a study mace of its causes.
On the basis OF these all effort is being made TO
frame rules for electrical construction that Will
ODYiate tile danger. Already these rules have
taken shape in the form OF IeSoutions adopted
at The recent meeting of the electric committee
IN Chicago. 1t ia, OF course, lmpractlcable that
Insurance companies should maintain an In
spector in every town where electric wires are
likely 10 be inserted in buildings, and therefore
tile association is preparing rules which will
compel h0use-cOntraci 0rS 10 place the wires in
such position that access can be had to them
a any time bv The insurance inspector. This
is because nothing but visual inspection viii
satisfy insurance companies that there is no
fire hazard in any given piece OF wiring"
he author OF the paper petliioned The Pacific
Underwriters TO lend their approval and aid to
the work of the association. 1t did not touch,
he said, alone the things that immediately con-
cerned its business, but some of the more re-
mote and indirect subjects of fire alarms, both
municipal and automatic, The development Of
electric healing and cooking. the impairment of
sources Of water supply by electrolysiS from
electric railways, the hazards of aerial or under
ground circuits" etc.
The substance of Mr.. Swetis paper on 1.-THE
Iusurabe Interest," was Il caution TO under
writers concerning the payment or policies 10
persons who do not own The properly Oh which
they carry Insurance. policy insureS not a
given piece Of property, but The Insurers inter
est in that property. If therefore house, for
Instance, stands in the name OF mans wife
while The man himself carries the insurance
The latter is not entitled 10 damages. If a man
hypoJhecaies his property his interest is by so
much decreased and his policy by so much
Vitiaied. Insurers generally do not recognize or
are not aware of this, but IL is fact ablished
by many presidents of law. A mans interest
III anything, not the thing itself, is insured.
All day to-day and again tonight the under
writer's continue theiI sessions. winding up
with grand banquet at the MaisOn Richie.
The programme for to-day is as follows:
Morning session-"Demands Of the Times"
Louis Welnmann; Bureau Of Investigation"
J. i. Fuller ana L. p Fabj; Use and Abuse OF
CONTACTS" l.. W. Carpenter; value of sta
tislics," Benjamin j. Smith; observations, ;"
Calvert Meade.
Afternoon session-"The Press as an Ad-
1uster," V. Carus Driffield; adjustment of
Partial LOSSES" r. w. Osborn; business.