Man, metal thieves will steal anything...

[Manedwolf]

Bleh.

FRANKLIN, N.H. -- Hundreds of feet of chain fencing have been stolen from a historic cemetery in Franklin, police said.

Investigators said the sections of fence around the Webster Place Cemetery may have been taken to be sold for scrap metal.

Caretaker Bob Sharon noticed the theft Wednesday morning.

"Stealing the fence was the last thing that registered in my mind," Sharon said.

Huge sections of the steel chain fencing were cut neatly from their posts. Sharon said it likely happened Saturday or Sunday. Police said clipped fasteners and a broken granite post were the only clues left behind.

About 700 pounds of chain fencing was taken. Police said they are checking out local metal dealers to see if the missing fencing shows up.

Over the past year, New Hampshire communities have dealt with an increase of metal theft by people looking to sell it as scrap. Sharon said this theft is different because the cemetery dates back 250 years. The family of Daniel Webster is buried on the site.

"Someone who is just having a hard time didn't do this," Sharon said. "These people have no respect for history of this country, don't respect others' property. In plain English -- they're the bottom-of-the-barrel people."

None of the graves were disturbed, but Sharon said it could cost $5,000 to $6,000 to make repairs.

[yesitsloaded]

I guess the old phrase anything that isn't nailed down doesn't apply anymore, they have prybars and bolt cutters now. Some people in this world....

[Regolith]

Metal thieves stole a historical statue of Sacajawea somewhere in Western Oregon once.  They'll take anything that can be sold for scrap.

[French G.]

Can we steal that gay UN statue and sell it to buy some real guns? 

[Grandpa Shooter]

One of my friends works the Central Arizona Canal project.  They have been replacing sections of fence as long as 700 yards which were ripped off by metal thieves.  My suggestion that they electify the fence fell on deaf ears.

[Regolith]

Can we steal that gay UN statue and sell it to buy some real guns? 

I've always just wanted to take a saw to it and make it into a snubbie.  You could sell the part of the barrel that was lopped off, though. 

[Perd Hapley]

In plain English -- they're the bottom-of-the-barrel people.

What, cause they stole a fence from a cemetery?  Just remember, no matter how many gay baby seals you rape and kill in the name of Dick Cheney, at least you're not a cemetery-fence thief.   

Can we steal that gay UN statue and sell it to buy some real guns?

That is such a beautiful idea, it almost makes me cry.  No, really. 

[K Frame]

Personally I always get quite the chuckle when I read an article (and there have been several lately) about the brain dead morons who sneak into electrical substations in an attempt to steal copper and aluminum wire.

The normal result is a retelling of the  "Joan of Electrical Arc" story.

Of course, it's always followed by threats from family members that they're going to sue.

[Manedwolf]

Personally I always get quite the chuckle when I read an article (and there have been several lately) about the brain dead morons who sneak into electrical substations in an attempt to steal copper and aluminum wire.

The normal result is a retelling of the  "Joan of Electrical Arc" story.

Of course, it's always followed by threats from family members that they're going to sue.

That happened a while ago with an abandoned factory. Thieves thought the 30,000 volt mains were off, and tried to cut into the cables. They were not. It was more of a "cleanup" than a "recovery", regarding bodies...

[MicroBalrog]

I thought metal-thieving was restrained to third-world countries?

And yes, I have a story to top the above:

Apparently a few months ago some folks here in the desert stole a monument to the heroes of the Israeli War of Independence (IIRC). The monument, in that case, was an ancient half-track the builders forgot to neuter - so the thieves just filled up the tank and drove off. I kid you not.

[The Annoyed Man]

I thought metal-thieving was restrained to third-world countries?

Over here, it's a popular way for junkies to get money for drugs. They steal everything. They've even taken the sheet metal on church roofs.

[The Annoyed Man]

Can we steal that gay UN statue and sell it to buy some real guns? 

What's it made of? I've always been entertained by the possibility to melt it down and make guns out of it .

[K Frame]

If it's the statue I'm thinking of, it's made from guns and other weapons.

[The Annoyed Man]

If it's the statue I'm thinking of, it's made from guns and other weapons.

Knotted gun? Only fitting that we turn it into weapons again .

[mfree]

Steal it, and replace it with an identical piece except for it being straightened... perhaps motorized.

[Scout26]

Steal it, and replace it with an identical piece except for it being straightened... perhaps motorized.

Loaded with the ability to rotate and fire.   

[drewtam]

Personally I always get quite the chuckle when I read an article (and there have been several lately) about the brain dead morons who sneak into electrical substations in an attempt to steal copper and aluminum wire.

The normal result is a retelling of the  "Joan of Electrical Arc" story.

Ughh, my brother sent me an email with graphic pictures of such a failed attempt. It was disgusting, the body was burnt and mutilated. Most of his clothes were burnt off or melted to the skin. It was obvious he was trying to cut the power line off the pole with a hacksaw.

[G_P]

the sad thing is that for all the fence they took they will probably be lucky to get 40-50 bucks!

steel isnt worth much and galvanized is worth even less.

10-15 pounds of copper would be worth the same if not more. It never ceases to amaze me how stupid people are to try to haul off 700lbs of chain link fence when they could have just taken a few bronze plaques from the cemetary and gotten alot more money. (not that im encouraging theft i'm just making an example).

Heck i once went with the wife to pick up some blueberry bushes being given away for free in the classifieds and the guy told me to go raid his scrap pile to find some poles to hold up the anti-bird netting. I found 15 feet of thickwall copper drainpipe and he told me to keep it and sell it for scrap. That bit of pipe netted me 150dollars in cash! meanwhile my friend was cleaning out metal debris from the yard of a house he bought and when we filled his truck and a large trailer with scrap steel we only got 300 bucks for the whole load which was several tons. The worst part was while at the scrapyard we saw pieces of a chopped up statue in the scrap brass/bronze pile. Along with ENORMOUS amounts of brass cartridge shells!

[Manedwolf]

the sad thing is that for all the fence they took they will probably be lucky to get 40-50 bucks!

steel isnt worth much and galvanized is worth even less.

10-15 pounds of copper would be worth the same if not more. It never ceases to amaze me how stupid people are to try to haul off 700lbs of chain link fence when they could have just taken a few bronze plaques from the cemetary and gotten alot more money. (not that im encouraging theft i'm just making an example).

You're thinking chainlink. This is old New England stuff. It was handcut granite posts with lengths of basically half-diameter steel anchor chain in double lines between them. Chain.

[roo_ster]

Chain as in "Its the chain I go get to beat you with 'til you understand who's in ruttin' command here!"

[doc2rn]

Today on Yahoo news they stole over 100 manhole covers in Penn. They cost  a few hundred bucks and the the thieves get forty to fifty out of them. Come on scrap dealers cant recognize manhole covers!

[Manedwolf]

Today on Yahoo news they stole over 100 manhole covers in Penn. They cost  a few hundred bucks and the the thieves get forty to fifty out of them. Come on scrap dealers cant recognize manhole covers!

Of course they can. Especially if they have something like "City of Manchester" on them like a case where some were stolen and sold to a scrap dealer here. The dealer didn't report it.

This is going to continue until they start charging scrap dealers with receiving stolen goods, or require photo ID to be recorded for each scrap sale.

[MechAg94]

Earlier this year I had to get rid of some manurite tubing that is high in Nickel and Chromium.  It added up to about $20,000 worth of metal.  the first time I called the scrap guy about pricing, he asked me how I wanted to be paid.  I think he was a bit relieved when I said "company check".  I can't imagine getting away with stealing something like that.  When I asked him about it, he had his stories about people wanting cash for rather large shipments of scrap. 

Another time at another site, one of the operators caught a guy in a cadillac going through a dumpster full of scrap copper from a transformer.  He drove off real quick before that operator could call any cops.  The guard at the gate insisted he didn't let anyone it.  Riiiight.  He was replaced pretty quick.

[Iain]

Over here, it's a popular way for junkies to get money for drugs. They steal everything. They've even taken the sheet metal on church roofs.

Lead from church roofs is not small time. There is quite a lot of money in it. Several major churches here in the UK have been targeted.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2859487.ece - claims nearly £5.8m worth of claims for stolen church roof lead in 2007, although some of that may be due to resulting water damage.

[K Frame]

Couple of years ago, and I can't remember where it happened, somewhere in Europe, a guy was trying to steal the lead roof off a small church.

He slipped off and was found the next day impaled on a particularly wicked iron fence...