The San Francisco call., 1908-11-22
STRANGE CHANCES
TAKEN BY LLOYDS
Odd CANDLES Lurk in Many
Insurance Deals Made by
Association
How This English Company of
Underwriters Came to
Be Organized

Insurance against black hand out
RACES and losses resulting from the
possible election of William jennings
Bryan are not the only queer policies
written by Lloyds, the English asso-
citation of underwriters, which will in
sure against almost anything providing
an adequate premium is paid.
Lloyds has been in the insuring busi-
ness ever since 1892, and there is no
record of it ever having defaulted on a
just claim.
Lloyds was a famous coffee house in
London frequented by businessmen of
substance, who. like many of their kind
today, were wiling to take gamblers
chance to make good profits on their
money. A group of patrons of the place,
including many owners of ships, de-
cided to form sort of mutual protec-
tive society and insure vessels and their
cargoes against loss by any of the nu-
merous causes which afflicted travel by
sea in those days. Each one In the
group made himself responsible for a
certain amount of the possible loss and
received a proportionate share of the
premium.
FIRST POLICY IN 1892
The first policy written was on the
ship Maria on her voyage from Stock
holm to London. The amount involved
was f70o sterling, or about $500. This
policy was dated June 29, 1892. Having
no thought of the long and honorable
career ahead for their society, its
founders made no attempt to prepetu-
uate their own names in connection
with it, but more as a joke than any
thing else decided to designate it by
simply using the name of the popular
proprietor of the coffee house which
served them such good cheer.
That was the beginning of Lloyds.
Designed originally as a society for
marine insurance-and that is still it's
principal business-it has issued poll
cies against all conceivable kinds of
risks. As in the beginning of its career,
Lloyds is still backed by a group of
men, much more numerous than. the
first group, and each one stands to lose
more than did the whole of the original
group. Each member of the society
must subscribe $4,000 on his election.
This fund makes up the reserve against
the legitimate business of Lloyds-
namely, marine insurance.
Alf the freak insurance, such as the
policies against black hand outrages
and Bryan losses, is written by differ
ent groups of men who are members of
Lloyds. If a man thinks the black
hand is going to blow up his store and
cause him loss of $4,000 he goes to
the Lloyds agency which communi-
Gates with the home Office, and group
of say 10 members will bind themselves
to pay $1,000 each in event of loss,
and the policy is written.
STALLIONs INSURED
Nearly every stallion of Importance
on the Kentucky breeding farms is in
sured, some of them for as much as
100000. Many racehorses In training
were insured until few years ago
when succession of losses caused an
advance of premiums to practically a
prohibitive figure. The crowning blow
came when James r. Keenes HighbaIl
broke his leg in the last furlong of a
race and had to be destroyed High
ball was insured for a very large
amount.
Race horses and valuable polo ponies
are still insured, but the policies
usually only cover possible losses while
the animals are in transit. The dangers
of the race track and the polo field
were found to be too many for the in
surers.
Lloyds makes lot of money out of
the vagaries of the weather. 1t bets
huge sums right along that it is not
going to rain on certain day. Every
once in while it does rain and it pays
out pretty sum. Proprietors of race
tracks frequently insure against rain
storm on big stake days. Rainy weather
will cut the attendance in half but the
money offered for the big stake must
be paid whether 10000 or 10000 persons
witness the race. Recently a suburban
real estate concern, which spent SIS, 900
advertising an auction sale of lots took
out a policy against a rainstorm on the
day fixed for the sale
Paderewski, on his concert tours,
takes out half dozen different kinds
of insurance, accident and health, and a
separate policy on his valuable fingers
Kubelik, the violinist, also keeps his
fingers insured on his tours. Caruso
and several other grand opera stars,
carry insurance against colds and other
maladies which affect only the vocal
organs.
PROTECTION FOR CHAUFFEURS
Practically all the wealthy owners
of automobiles not only insure their
machines against damage by fire. theft.
collision or other accident, but also
carry liability policies. If the chauffeur
runs down and kills or Injuries anybody
the damages which the victim gets
must be paid by the liability company.
Many businessmen in Britain carry
insurance all the year round on the
life Of King Edward, as they did for
years prior to the death of Victoria.
Some Wall street stock SPECTATORS
make 1t a practice to carry insurance
on the life of President Roosevelt be-
cause of the market upheaval which
would follow the sudden death of the
head of the nation. Lloyds will not
issue its gambling policies to every
body. 1t must know the man and know
that his regular business will suffer
loss in event of the happening against
which he insures.
DUTIES OF PRESS ARE
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