Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-16


coffee-house days, and in consequence
most of them are bald. But there were
only 70 subscribers to Lloyds in III.
Now there are nearly 1000.
Like the old underwriters, they are
willing to consider any old risk and TO
accept almost any, at price. There
is still preserved among the archives
of the institution policy on the lie
of Napoleon, written at Lloyds. II
was for one month and the premium
was per cent. In these days that
would be very ordinary risk at
Lloyds. Policies on the lives of threat
ened monarchs are almost as common
as policies upon delayed ships, which
are common enough.
So are policies upon the safety or
valuable animals Elephant Insurance
is quite usual. One of the largest anil
NAL policies was on the life of the great
Jumbo when he came to New York on
a steamship. He had such IouSn
voyage that at one time it seemed as
if the underwater must lose. But ne
didn't, and, unfortunately for the CIR
Gus. Jumbo's owner, he was net rein
sured when the life was Knocked out OF
him by a locomotive at railroad
crossing later. Race horses are fire.
quently insured at Lloyds; so are bank
deposits, and once at least the voice
of prima donna has been.
Another curious case of insurance III
the same line was that in which great
singer, who had been engaged to give
a series of song recitals before Queen
Victoria, insured the life of the queen
lest her death should cut snort the
series, for which the singer mad or
dered elaborate gowns and had can
celed other profitable engagements.
Also if the queen had died the singer
would have been compelled to go into
| mourning and could not appear in
opera. The queen lived through the
recitals. so the singer got her money
| from another source than the under
writer.
| The Prince of Wales jubilee stamps
We're insured at Lloyds, too, prom
| inent firm of underwriters guaranteeing
| that the issue would be successful,
as it was. Asomewhat odder risk was
| the insurance Of a glass bed packed
| in 20 cases and shipped to an eastern
potentate. There is very little that a
Lloyds underwater will not bet upon.
If. for instance, you are uncertain
about the permanence of your gold
| tooth upon which you have expended
capital and the dentist some skill,
communicate with Lloyds, London.
Somebody there will insure it for you.
The thing has been done before.
In the South African war, when the
life companies were chary of battlefield
risks, there was always Lloyds to run
| to, and the underwriters there did a
| heavy business in such risks. 1t came
| out at the same time that gate money
| for cricket and football matches had
been insured. The underwriters We're
willing, in the case of popular games,
to do this for comparatively small pre-
miums. though their ability to calcu-
| late chances in this kind of specula-
| ton might seem to be uncertain when
| the British climate is taken into con-
sideration.
That doesn't cut so much ice with the
| Eloyds UNDERWATER If he loses one
kind of bookmaking, ne equalizes the
sure against twins One well-known I'M
| derwriter, has made public announce
ment that he is always ready to lay
| thousand to one against any such bless
he insured against twins, and -trplets ar
rived. But he considered that covered by
Tie pOllcy anu pdlO Cneer1ully, content
with the advertising the publicity given
to the fact conferred upon him gratis
and not even insisting ON deducting from
the benefit the amount of the queen S
bounty, $25, which is always bestowed III
such a contingency.
Another curious case of insurance was
widely commented upon in the London
papers as instancing the enterprise OF
the Lloyds underwriters. An electric
light pole was set up opposite the win
dow of a milliner's shop in a provincial
town in England which was taking to
American methods of lighting rather
| late in its career. The milliner didn't
like the looks of the pole and anyway
| she was confident that some day it
would fall or be struck by lightning or
something and would destroy her Valu-
able plate glass. She appealed to the
mayor and he, heartless official would
not consider spinster's fears enough 10
have the pole transferred to place op-
poslte some other bridesmaids window
He advised the miliner to insure the
glass.
Lloyds underwriters saw a newspaper
story about the old maids predicament
and promptly went to her relief One Of
them offered her insurance against the
falling of the pole at the very nominal
rate of 60 cents on the hundred She
gladly accepted and the policy was made
out. AT last accounts the pole was still
standing. Insurance against burglary is
common in England and is not unusual
here.-New York Sun.