The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1916-07-27

bout these early Gays Oh Ihs eiedl
institution.
edward Lloyd was a man Of in
telligence," wrote Colonel Hozier. Be-
sides organizing the merchants and
marine insurers who congregated at
his travern, he started Lloyd's News,
the forerunner of the present Lloyd's
List, which is the Oldest newspaper
in the country with the exception of
the London Gazette"
Before long the little coffee house
became connected with various
gambling and speculative transac-
tions. The lives of those who had
to pay the penalty for breaking their
country's laws were insured at
| Lloyd's as a sort of speculation: al
so when any great statesman, or
great leader of a party, fell i'll his
life was insured at Lloyd's coffee
house at premium of 5 per cent.
Travellers who went abroad were able
to insure their safe return but the
premium was tolerably high. One
traveller by the name of Henry, who
went to Constantinople, insured his
return for $4,000, but he had to pay
$1,000 premium for it. In 1892 the
coffee house was removed from Tow
er to Lombard Street, and in 1774
Lloyd's left the tavern to take up
where it has since remained.
visited Lloyd's a few days ago,
between and 4 in the afternoon,
the busiest time in the day, when
some thousands of men congregated
in the famous underwriting room.
The underwriting room is a large,
long, lofty chamber with a doomed
ceiling, down either side and along
the center of which are rows of low
pews-technically known as boxes
each of which contains a narrow
writing table. Here the underwrit-
ers sit with their clerks beside them
to record the risks accepted, sign
policies or take down claims At
the end of each writing table is a
wire basket in which are placed the
signed policies ready for collection
by the brokers, and the two broad
gangways are thronged by an ever
shifting and busy crowd of these and
their clerks going to and from one
underwater OF group of underwent
ers to another, most of them carry
ing in their hands neat leather cases
of "slips" on which are written all
the particulars of the risks offered
and taken.
On the left as one enters is the
desk of the superintendent of the
room, and little beyond it is a
reading desk on which rests open
one of the most fateful volumes in
existence. 1t is a great tome, bound
in green leather, known as the Loss
Book, in which each day, is written |
the list of the casualties at sea. In
normal times the merchant navies |
of the world lose nearly twelve hun
bred vessels every year, upon which |
Lloyd's pay out insurance. What
will the total be this year, wonder? |
At Lloyd's they refused even to
hazard a guess.
AS we walked about, my guide sud-
denly laid his hand on my arm, "Lis-
ten!" he said.
He pointed to the top of the parti-
Il |
evidently an old ships bell, around
which hung a mass of rusty rudder
chains. Beneath it was a sort of
pulpit, topped by a great sounding
board, in which stood another gorg-
eous robed official of Lloyd's who
is known as the Caller" The hub
bub in the great room had ceased as
if by magic. The caller pulled a
cord and the great bell tolled once.
THAT means that ship has gone
down." said my guide. "The details
will be posted up in The Chamber of
Horrors y
The ancient bell is that of the once
tall frigate Lutine, which, captured
from the French, became a British
vessel of war. In 1890, when laden
with treasure worth upwards of 5
million dollars, she went down in the
Zuider Zee, with only a single mem
Der of the crew surviving to tell the
story of the loss to British capital
SITS. Successive generations of d.
'ers did their utmost to reclaim her
largo, but they got back only little
'ver one half million dollars, and
he rest remains for the fishes and
he mermaids. But the bell of the
I'D ship was recovered more than
lalf century after the loss and,
presented to Lloyd's, has ever
ince been the tocsin of that insti-
ution. When a vessel is posted"
he bell is struck twice and the "call-
n" makes his announcement from
he rostrum.
Trade i.l-o Love ,,-;l- s. ! - ,,...- T.. | q