The morning times., 1895-07-21
BICYCLES INSURED NOW
Policies Issued Against Acct
dent, Fire and Theft.
JUST BEEN STARTED HERE
Some OF the Advantages Which Nav
Come to the Unfortunate Wheel
men-Repairs Made on the Presen-
tation of Card-But Little Red
Tape.

In city blessed with miles OF fine streets
particularly adapted to wheeling and with
the thousands of people who now pedal
the light pneumatic within her gates, it
would be strange TO think that some genius
had not thought to establish a bicycle
insurance agency IN Washington. and so
they have.
The wheelman or the wheeIwoman can
now tundle down the asphalt with a
policy in his or her pocket, and if the rider
inadvertently runs in front of a cable
car and has his machine OF steel. rubber.
and wind crushed into dust he can recover
a new one, provided, OF course, there is
piece left Of the rider big enough to present
his policy.
There is quartet of things a bicycle
insurance company VIII do. They are.
Repair your machine when damaged bv
accident; mead your tire when punctured;
replace your machine when DESTROYED bv
accident, and give you new wheel or
recover the old one when a thief makes
makes way with it. All OF these phtlaa-
thropical deeds are doue for the bicyclst
taking out policy in fhe company at the
rate of Sc per amman,
HOW IT Is DONE.
The supply OF crimson tape about the
process of taking out the policy is com
mcndaDly meager. The blCycIsU present :
his wheel 10 the jnsuring agent. He places
value upon It, If the machine is Compar-
atively new its cost price TO the buyer
is us insurance value. This valuation
or the wheel is intended To guide the insurer
La a
number OF the machine IS placed upon a
card with the value ,inauree'S name address
ana date, and as the SIX dollars changes
into the insurers hand the card reaches The
pocket of the knight of the wheel Whenever
any accident occurs tins card is presented
at the nearest repair shop employed 10y
the Insurance company and listed on the
back OF the card, aud The repair ) made
free Of charge
The Insurance men say that the Ddncture
Is the most Common accident One of the
the worthy points of theIrsChenlei is Ihrvsay
that III case a puncture occurs the wheel
owner has the tire nlendrd by an expert
who can do II i far better manner than
the rider. \ half dozen punCtUrns they
hold, are not at all uncommon n wear
ana there alone is The insurance money ad-
vanragrousiy saved
Then. too, the bicycle men have a new
being That CirculateS in their particular
field. He is the tire fiend" He is the
person that secHs solace and recreation in
probing the tires of wheel to relieve them
OF supcrflOus wind after the owner has
hitched the bi-wheeled steed to a tree
These people are generally recorded by
scientists in the same class with those that
annex tin cans to the terminal appendage of
a canine or have a penchant for relieving
flies OF their wings.
THE LINE DRAWN.
There are but two places where the bi-
cycle insurance people draw the line One
is against leaving the wheel on the curb
stone. If the bike is left there and any
mishap befaIls it the owner has no hope
of recovery. The reason for such a re-
striction is obvious ana the bicycle in
surers and dealers say that a majority of
wheels are injured in that way.
The other case is that of CoaSting. In
Coasting down a decline the rider loses con
troll OF his wheel to a great extent and
If any accident happens to a machine on
hillside the insurance men are sure to
make diligent inquiry whether the rider
had his feet on the pedals before damages
are awarded.
One whose wheel is stolen is particularly
fortunate if he had it previously insured.
The company loans him a wheel for thirty
days, and during that time they make
ulllSenl search Tor the wneeI tnat Is
stolen. If they 90 not find il when the thirty
days are up they present the owner with a
new one OF the same value as the old.
The policy also holds against destruction
by fire.
1t makes no difference to the company
whether it is a wheeman or a wheel
woman who makes application for tnsur-
ance. NeitherdoeS the company care wheth-
er the insuree is a rider grown old in the
Iii III
debut over the two rings of compressed air.
1t is taken for granted that all persons
whose ideas breweres have not seriously
impaired will take every precaution for
their own health and that OF the wheel.
The insurance movement is quite new in
this city and not old in any of the neighbor-
ing cities 1t is fast gaining foothold
in the towns of New York, PENNSYLVANIA
and New England. and promises to spread
everywhere. Possibly one out of every
twenty wheels seen on Washington's streets
are now insured.