The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-04-16

Like other occupations and profess
sions, that of fire insurance adjusting
is not without its funny side and not
infrequently the adjuster meets with
humorous Incidents i'm the course of
his daily work which relieve the rou-
tine Of settling up" with policy hold
ers, As in other occupations the hu-
mOrOus side to fire loss adjusting does
not, Of course. predominant. 1t is usu-
ally the assured who furnish food for
laughter. although at the time the food
may not seem DaIatable TO the agent.
one of Salt Lakes veteran adjust
ers who. in his own words, knows
nothing but insurance" recOUnted yes
terday some Of his experiences during
the past twenty years and made some
interesting observations on the science
of loss adjustment
one of the lasting Impressions which
his long term of service has left upon
him, and he says it is ever present with
agents of the other seventy or seventy
five companies i'm Salt Lake. is the diff
hcUlty OF settling with women premium
holders.
It's a fact" he said. that COM
panies dislike to issue policies to wo-
men If there is any way of avoiding
it. They'll squirm every time. for it
is an adage that women are to be
avoided i'm the settlement Of fire losses.
Especially do companies dislike TO is
sue policies TO wives. I have often had
inquiry made as TO why such and such
a policy was not issued in the name
of the husband
Where a man and wife are living
Oh homestead, of course. the dislike
is not so strong. 1t seems right that
the homestead should be insured i'm
the wife's name. But where a stock
Of goods or household furniture IS con-
Cerned it is a different proposition.
Men VS.. Women as Policy Holders.
"A man who has suffered loss by
fire will be reasonable. he VIII be bust
Desslike with an adjUster. But a wo-
man viii go to any extreme to gain
her point. She simply determines to
get all there is i'm it. and then some,
and often we find il advisable 10 eff
feet a settlement. even where we know
it is not JUSTIFIED. in order to get
peace.
Would you believe that some women
claim loss by fire if they spill hot
ashes or Goals on the carpet and ruin
it, Such is the case. Only a few
months ago / was called to adjust a
loss i'm a residence of this city. ! found
that the woman had been careless in
setting up heater. The iinOleum had
been scorched underneath the stove.
This she claimed was a fire loss and
she demanded remuneration
Rather than have any trouble. OC-
casiOued by talk. the company settled.
A similar case. 4 stove had been filled
too full of coal, with the result that
there was no draft, and the combus-
ton of gases blew the front out and
shOwered the room with SCOT. Well.
.,y-re- -fr,c
ing for her in that room. although it
plainly was not a fire loss
False Teeth Dining Room Furniture.
That women are anxious not only to
get their moneys worth for anything
that is destroyed but are determined TO
get I'm anything and everything under
this head is evidenced by the following
story told by the adjuster referred TO
above.
About two months ago my attention
was called TO the item of false teeth.
$50 which a woman had included in
her inventory OF household goods de
stroyed by fire. I informed her at once
that the claim could not be allowed.
She insisted that the false teeth had
been destroyed and that the policy COW
cred them.
''To satisfy her / wrote Manager Dor
min at eastern headquarters and in
Ouired if false teeth came under the
head of anything listed IN the policy
He replied that one of his special agents
suggested that false teeth might come
under the head of either dining room
furniture or wearing apparel The
claim. of course. was not allowed
Il think her claim and that of an
other woman who cOntended that a
canary bird which her cat swallowed
while fire was in progress came under
the head of musical Instruments are
about the limit. One agent has gone
9about as far;ye Pwever. in querying
whether the ~ of dancing slippers
and socks shd.. "a not be recoverab BILE
under the iteuI of fixed and movable
machinery. Including pumps and
hose"
The adjuster. continuing the inter
view. pointed out the differences pre-
vailing in his line of business in the
east and west. The west, he concluded