Stealing Man Hole Covers

[JerryMather]

This is happening in Long Beach, Ca. and they're only getting $12.00 each for them at the scrap yards!

Can you imagine riding your bike into one of those holes at night. WTF are these guys thinking?

[Jerry Johnston]

They're in it for the money and could care less what misery they're causing. What was the scrap yard thinking when they bought them, they pretty much come from only one place.

[JerryMather]

Seems like a lot heavy lifting for only a few bucks. These guys are idiots.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

WTF are these guys thinking?

 

"Oh boy, $12!"

 

I guess it's not manslaughter if nobody dies as a result, but is there a related charge, like public endangerment or something?

 

Recklessly antisocial feat: steaing manhole covers. Only slightly less evil than simply mugging someone.

 

Suicidal feat: stealing copper bus bars from an electrical substation. Every so often I read about these guys getting fried extra crispy in mid-task, and I think to myself, "ayup, that'll do."

[Francois_Dumas]

Hey ! That means Romanian gipsies ...... excuse me... 'traveling minorities' to put that politically correct.... have found the US too! It is a common practice in Romania and has caused quite a few victims there already.

 

But indeed, it is the people BUYING the stuff that are the real criminals !

 

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

But indeed, it is the people BUYING the stuff that are the real criminals !

 

In purchasing scrap metal by the truckload, I suspect it is not feasible to search piece by piece for contraband items. If a guy shows up with a truckload of stolen manhole covers, that's one thing, but if you've got just a few covers mixed in with a bunch of engine blocks, I-beams, sheet metal and what-not, it's just too difficult.

[rob1100r]

 

But indeed, it is the people BUYING the stuff that are the real criminals !

 

Agreed, In my line of retail if I purchase something from a walk-in (customer) I need Identification (ie license). Should it come up stolen, I am protected and know where to send the auctorities. Certainly a manhole cover is pretty obvious...

[Matts_12GS]

There was a time in Tampa about 20 years ago when they were changing to aluminum utility poles.

 

The county would put the poles up one day and that night someone would push it over w/a big truck, slice it up and recycle it. Those guys got about 2 dozen of them before they were caught. funny what people would do for $.10 a pound.

[CoarsegoldKid]

This is happening in Long Beach, Ca. and they're only getting $12.00 each for them at the scrap yards!

Can you imagine riding your bike into one of those holes at night. WTF are these guys thinking?

 

They couldn't have a thought if they tried.

[Ken H.]

 

They've started welding them down around here for just that reason. Of course utility and cable companies hate it because we've got to get a welder out to cut it open anytime we want to even do a look-see.

 

The temporary big square plates used over construction work are disappearing to. And thats really a hole to drop a bike into at night. Or more accurately; hit the opposite inside of. And there's no easy way to nail those down.

 

Steeling of air conditioner compressors from along side people's houses and businesses for the copper they contain is a big thing too.

 

Desperate times drive people to do desperate things.

[sgendler]

I happened to catch a show not so long ago about the making of those manhole covers. Hard to believe, but it is actually cheaper to ship the raw materials to India, fashion them into manhole covers over there, then ship them over to the US. That says a whole lot about the cost of labour over there, although I suppose it probably says just as much about the expense of worker safety and reasonable work hours. Most of the foundry employees were walking around in bare feet and wearing nothing but a loincloth, even while dealing with molten steal. Life is VERY cheap over there.

[stubble!]

Here's an article. Be sure to watch the multimedia slideshow.

 

 

 

[Shaman97]

I happened to catch a show not so long ago about the making of those manhole covers. Hard to believe, but it is actually cheaper to ship the raw materials to India, fashion them into manhole covers over there, then ship them over to the US. That says a whole lot about the cost of labour over there, although I suppose it probably says just as much about the expense of worker safety and reasonable work hours. Most of the foundry employees were walking around in bare feet and wearing nothing but a loincloth, even while dealing with molten steal. Life is VERY cheap over there.

 

It's a dirty job...Where was Mike Rowe?

[Lets_Play_Two]

I happened to catch a show not so long ago about the making of those manhole covers. Hard to believe, but it is actually cheaper to ship the raw materials to India, fashion them into manhole covers over there, then ship them over to the US. That says a whole lot about the cost of labour over there, although I suppose it probably says just as much about the expense of worker safety and reasonable work hours. Most of the foundry employees were walking around in bare feet and wearing nothing but a loincloth, even while dealing with molten steal. Life is VERY cheap over there.

 

When I was in college (when college kids were cheap labor) I worked in an iron foundry and one of the products we poured was man hole covers!! While I wore protective boots to keep from getting molten iron down my shoe, we all worked shirtless and without goggles because molten iron bounces off sweaty skin, but burns a shirt or goggles, and the skin to which they are attached!!!

[randys]

I had a 6x8 piece of steel outside my office specifically for the kickstand, that was gone this morning when I parked. damn them!

[russell_bynum]

This is proof that recycling is a bad idea.

[DavidEBSmith]

But indeed, it is the people BUYING the stuff that are the real criminals !

 

In purchasing scrap metal by the truckload, I suspect it is not feasible to search piece by piece for contraband items. If a guy shows up with a truckload of stolen manhole covers, that's one thing, but if you've got just a few covers mixed in with a bunch of engine blocks, I-beams, sheet metal and what-not, it's just too difficult.

 

Chicago just passed a new ordinance that requires scrap buyers to get photo IDs and keep records of who they buy what from. There's one large scrap yard that videotapes all the loads coming in so they know who the stuff came from. We've come down really, really hard on any scrap yard where we find anything stamped "CITY OF CHICAGO", and we stamp everything metal these days, so the scrap yards know they either have to check the stuff coming in or be able to help us find the guys who brought it in. It's cut down significantly on the manhole cover and light pole thefts.

 

On the other hand, there was a set of aluminum bleachers that disappeared from a school, but that's the Board of Education's problem.

 

And in addition to the usual copper wiring and pipe being stolen from vacant buildings, we also have brick thieves who have been known to steal entire walls out of buildings over a weekend. They just start pulling bricks out as high up the wall as they can reach, stack 'em up and cart 'em away.

[fanosix]

cocaine is a hell of a drug....................

[Francois_Dumas]

This is proof that recycling is a bad idea.

 

Recycling thugs is...... !

[Calvin (no socks)]

Randy, was that 6' x 8' or 6" x 8" or 6cm x 8cm...etc?

[randys]

6"x8". Randy dont do no metric. Hey Calvin, I got a friend thinking about doing a 50CC monday morning, if so I will be up that way sunday visiting, I will let you know. I think she already has witnesses lined up, but dont know for sure.