172 TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 



Ordinarily rainfall of less than one-tenth inch is not considered as 

 capable of causing much loss or preventing any event or the attendance 

 thereof. Where a very small amount of rainfall will do damage we are 

 still able to furnish indemnity under a special form. Where an event 

 will be postponed or abandoned by reason of rainfall it is possible to 

 secure an abandonment form which nominates only that the event be 

 abandoned on account of rainfall, or a certain amount of rainfall. 



Rain is measured by the United States Weather Bureau, in inches or 

 decimal fractions of an inch, and is usually recorded by the hour. The 

 smallest measure is one-one hundredth of an inch, less than that amount 

 is recorded as a "trace." Government records are final as to the time and 

 the amount of rain. If the event takes place at some distance from a 

 government weather bureau special arrangements may be made with a 

 co-operative weather bureau observer to gauge the rainfall. Should this 

 be impracticable a non-partisan observer may be engaged, and where none 

 of these can be arranged for we have made a practice of taking the affi- 

 davit of two or three absolutely disinterested, responsible parties as to 

 the hour and amount of rainfall. 



Rainfall coverage is an exact contract in which the conditions of liabil- 

 ity are well defined. Should it rain the required amount at the time and 

 place named the liability is clear. Should the rainfall be less than the 

 required amount, or at other hours than those specified in the policy no 

 liability attaches to the company. 



Rain insurance is a comparatively new business and is flexible, and 

 wherever there is a practical demand, we can devise a practical means 

 to meet it. These forms may be written specific for one event, or specific 

 for a series of days, or all the days in a schedule may be written blanket. 



Rain insurance is a special and limited time contract, and the premium 

 must be paid at least seven days in advance of the event, and the contract 

 is not subject to cancellation. The reason for this is obvious. While 

 the neighbors of the Weather Man comment on the fact that when the 

 weather prediction is fair, that gentleman is known to go forth for his 

 daily duties with his umbrella under his arm and wearing his goloshes, 

 yet it is an established fact that the Weather Bureau is right eighty-five 

 times out of one hundred. Knowing that the weather can be predicted 

 with that accuracy from twenty-four to forty-eight hours in advance, jus- 

 tice is apparent in the following position: It is neither fair for the com- 

 pany to take premium when it knows that it will not rain on the following 

 day; neither is it fair for the assured to obtain insurance when he knows 

 that it will rain on the next day. 



The term Rainfall as used in our policies shall be understood to include 

 snow, sleet or hail and such precipitation shall be measured as rainfall 

 in accordance with the method pursued by the United States Weather 

 Bureau. For instance, according to the United States Weather Bureau, 

 it takes one inch of snow to each one-tenth inch of rainfall. 



Rates are based on the average number of days of rainfall for each 

 month in each county. As an explanation of the rates applying in different 



