The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-16
GALVESTON LIFE INSTANCES.
Owing 20 the Large Number OF women and
Children Killed the Losses May BE Small.

The QUESTION OF life insurance Ia one OF the
many features Of loss involve. In the Galveston
disaster. PROBABLY never before were 30 many
people In a civ. lized community. where life in
suranos oJmpanies are likely TO have a good
many risks. wiped out OF existence a. were de-
stroyed BY tbs hurricane which swept the west
and mort west Gulf coasts on Sept s Evan
under normal conditions 1t Is too soon yet for
the companies 10 have Teceived any returns 10
enable them to estimate even al proNimately
what Their losses from destruction OF life
would BE-. In tina chaos which re- gns il Caves
ton It will be weeks before any approach 10 an
acourate basis Of as innate viii be reached.
In a general way. however. the companies
here in New York are convinced that their
losses vii not be a serious matter. In the en-
tire Slate OF Texas the Equitabls Society has
sao.Ooo.ooo OF money represented IN risks. the
Mutual Lie. $40. Ooo. 900. and tho New York Life,
s2s. 0O0. 90. Naturally, tho proportion OF these
sums actually represented In Galveston WIS
comparatively small. These compagiys, for one
thing, do not insure the lives Of negroes. the
great rulk Of their business being confined 10
adul' white men Out OF he 5000 psople esti-
mated 10 have been killed in Ga weston a large
proportion were negroes and . stu larger pro-
portion women and children. In fact women
and cuildren formed he overwhelming ma orlty
Of the victims. 40, eliminating the negroes and
the white women and chi dren. the number OF
adult white men killed Is compa atively small.
and Of these the percentage who had their live.
insured l. still smRller-probsoly not NOR. than
4 per cent. IL il stlmate that at least two
thirds ~ The victims we're women and children.
which would leave something like 1000 adult
men who lost their lives When il Is reuem-
bered that many OF those are negroes who are
-. 1900 - 49,. - ~ .-htVna ,k.u,a.l.a.
q comparatively small proportion take out life
policies It will be seen th,t the number Of those
for whoss deaths The Insurance companies will
have 10 pay Ia not 80 large as to become a seri-
Gus matter. when divided up among a number
Of companies for any one company to fsoe.
C.. j. Smith Of the Mutual Life Company,
speaking on this subject yesterday. satd:
We ere absolutely without any data what
ever as 10 what the Losses will b.. but they can
not. in the nature OF things. be large enough Ia
be at all serious, II there were any heavy In
divIdual assurances In Galveston the chances
are greatly In favor Of III, theory that the per-
son. carrying thsm are not among the victims.
When a man = able "a take out, cav. q 100000
insur1 nce policy. he probably will live In a house
that Is built on a solid foundation and one that
will not be torn down by hurricanes.
The case ia no, parallel to the INSTANCE OF the
hra insurance losse. where's large town 10 partly
or wholly burned up. There nearly everything
burned Is apt Ia be insured. wherea' in q general
destruction Of human NE the proportion OF the
insured Ia much smaller.
But when | say that the losses are not likely
to be numerous in Galveston | refer more par.
ticularly 20 the companies which connne their
ri,ks ss a rule TO adult white men. Wit tho
COMPANIES isetls Joln Hancock, the Prids :
lives OF vomsn aud children thu @ 80 would be