Merry Xmas! Copper thieves burn down Birmingham (AL) city Christmas tree

Accidental Martyr · 15th December 2010, 12:04 PM

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/12/...tmas_tree.html

The Grinch may have stolen Christmas, but in Birmingham it was copper thieves who torched a Christmas tree in downtown's Linn Park.

Cainkane1 · 15th December 2010, 12:13 PM

Hopefully the thieves will be caught and punished.

patchbunny · 15th December 2010, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by Cainkane1

Hopefully the thieves will be caught and punished.

Sadly, they rarely are. Metal dealers are all too willing to buy scrap with no questions asked.

shadron · 15th December 2010, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by patchbunny

Sadly, they rarely are. Metal dealers are all too willing to buy scrap with no questions asked.

Indeed. A couple of years ago we had a mildly spectacular train wreck just down the hill; they used a large vacant lot across the street to tow all the damaged gondolas to. It took a crew of five about a month to carve up all the wrecked gondolas (there were perhaps a dozen). One night my son saw a couple of lights in the yard, and a truck came out with lights off till they got to the top of the hill. He called the local cops, and the next night they had a patrolman where they could watch the street. Greed being king, they caught a couple of local people coming in and loading up the aluminum. Their two previous hauls netted them about $85 each; the last one netted them about -$2500. The people at the commercial recycling center were, "Hear no evil, see no evil".

WildCat · 15th December 2010, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by patchbunny

Sadly, they rarely are. Metal dealers are all too willing to buy scrap with no questions asked.

A few years ago here someone started stealing manhole covers. Needless to say, that leaves a dangerous hole in the middle of the street. All the scrap metal dealers were notified, and the manhole cover thefts stopped.

But I've seen vacant/under construction homes with over $25,000 worth of damage because someone stole $50 worth of copper.

patchbunny · 15th December 2010, 06:37 PM

Public agencies are now burying utility pull boxes and covering them with concrete. What we've had people do is park at a pull box, open it, and cut all the wires. They then drive to the next one, cut the wires, tie them to their vehicle, then drive, pulling all the wire from the conduit. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Accidental Martyr · 17th December 2010, 07:01 AM

A local radio station has donated a new tree.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/12/...ngham_chr.html

DC · 17th December 2010, 07:04 AM

Originally Posted by patchbunny

Public agencies are now burying utility pull boxes and covering them with concrete. What we've had people do is park at a pull box, open it, and cut all the wires. They then drive to the next one, cut the wires, tie them to their vehicle, then drive, pulling all the wire from the conduit. Lather, rinse, repeat.

where was that?

commandlinegamer · 17th December 2010, 07:20 AM

It seems to be a common occurence these days. But it's not just limited to thefts of manhole covers or cabling. A few years back, a Henry Moore bronze sculpture was stolen [1], suspectedly for scrap, and not far from where I live a memorial statue to a mining disaster vanished only a couple of months after its unveiling.

[1] - http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesi...clining-figure

ANTPogo · 17th December 2010, 07:55 AM

Yeah, this has been front-page news here. What really makes me facepalm is that the thieves were using gasoline to try and get the plastic sheathing off of the copper wire. They poured gasoline on live bare electrical cable!

Even if the cops don't nab 'em, with a track record of stupidity like that, I'm pretty sure they'll Darwin themselves sooner or later, thus taking care of the problem.

patchbunny · 17th December 2010, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by DC

where was that?

I-80 in the California Sierras a few years ago, that I know of, but it's happened elsewhere often enough that burying our pullboxes is now standard policy.

Madalch · 17th December 2010, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by commandlinegamer

It seems to be a common occurence these days. But it's not just limited to thefts of manhole covers or cabling. A few years back, a Henry Moore bronze sculpture was stolen [1], suspectedly for scrap, and not far from where I live a memorial statue to a mining disaster vanished only a couple of months after its unveiling.

[1] - http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesi...clining-figure

Lots of statues have vanished in Canada.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto...ue-bronze.html

TubbaBlubba · 17th December 2010, 10:14 AM

Isn't the market value of copper per kilogram ridiculously low?

Madalch · 17th December 2010, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by TubbaBlubba

Isn't the market value of copper per kilogram ridiculously low?

No

brodski · 17th December 2010, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Madalch

No

http://metalprices.com/PubCharts/Pub...&cs=1011&cid=0

That is the price per pound, you have posted no evidence as to what the price per kilo is.

Paul W · 17th December 2010, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by brodski

That is the price per pound, you have posted no evidence as to what the price per kilo is.

1lb = 0.454kg

Hence 2.203lb = 1 kg

So, multiply by 2.2. (2.202643172 if you really want to be pedantic - and wrong).

I appreciate that this is advanced mathematics, but a little thought provides an answer.

TubbaBlubba · 17th December 2010, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by Madalch

No

http://metalprices.com/PubCharts/Pub...&cs=1011&cid=0

Isn't it still difficult to get a lot as scrap metal, though?

Hastur · 17th December 2010, 11:34 AM

$9 and change for a kilo. This is a high price for the last two years at least.

brodski · 17th December 2010, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Paul W

1lb = 0.454kg

Hence 2.203lb = 1 kg

So, multiply by 2.2. (2.202643172 if you really want to be pedantic - and wrong).

I appreciate that this is advanced mathematics, but a little thought provides an answer.

You know, I feel really foolish now.

Almost as foolish as if I had given a serious and condescending reply to a post which clearly was not meant to be taken seriously.

Almost that foolish, but not quite.

Hastur · 17th December 2010, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by TubbaBlubba

Isn't it still difficult to get a lot as scrap metal, though?

Not really. There's a lot of vacant houses in the US right now. Which means a lot of copper wire out there to be plucked with no one the wiser. That's not including theft of industrial wire which can be tens to hundreds of pounds per foot.
http://www.interfacebus.com/Copper_Wire_AWG_SIze.html

Madalch · 17th December 2010, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by TubbaBlubba

Isn't it still difficult to get a lot as scrap metal, though?

There's a lot of copper around, in wires, pipes, plaques, statues, etc. Most people think of this material as serving a useful function to society. Others see copper objects as ten-dollar bills which aren't nailed down tightly enough.

In Ayaan Hirsi's book, she mentions that NGOs in Somalia would, at the request of the Somalis, install telephone lines to improve communications between cities. The same Somalis would then run out and steal all the copper to sell as scrap. Then they would request that the telephone lines be replaced.

They're not humans, they're "Homo Economicus"
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php...&id=2095#comic

BenBurch · 17th December 2010, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by patchbunny

Sadly, they rarely are. Metal dealers are all too willing to buy scrap with no questions asked.

I tried to convince my state senator that we needed a law tanking the thumbprint of anybody selling copper, brass or bronze scrap, or any item recognizable as a manhole cover or any railroad appliance.

Legitimate sellers would never mind the thumbprint.

15th December 2010, 12:04 PM	#1
Accidental Martyr Graduate Poster Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry. Posts: 1,852	Merry Xmas! Copper thieves burn down Birmingham (AL) city Christmas tree http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/12/...tmas_tree.html The Grinch may have stolen Christmas, but in Birmingham it was copper thieves who torched a Christmas tree in downtown's Linn Park.
	__________________ "Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile!" Kurt Vonnegut Last edited by Accidental Martyr; 15th December 2010 at 12:07 PM.

15th December 2010, 12:13 PM	#2
Cainkane1 Philosopher Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The great American southeast Posts: 7,198	Hopefully the thieves will be caught and punished.
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15th December 2010, 12:46 PM	#3
patchbunny Graduate Poster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Right about... here. Posts: 1,553	Originally Posted by Cainkane1 Hopefully the thieves will be caught and punished. Sadly, they rarely are. Metal dealers are all too willing to buy scrap with no questions asked.
	__________________ "So, they laugh at my boner, will they? I'll show them! I'll show them how many boners the Joker can make!" -- The Joker, Batman #66

15th December 2010, 06:37 PM	#6
patchbunny Graduate Poster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Right about... here. Posts: 1,553	Public agencies are now burying utility pull boxes and covering them with concrete. What we've had people do is park at a pull box, open it, and cut all the wires. They then drive to the next one, cut the wires, tie them to their vehicle, then drive, pulling all the wire from the conduit. Lather, rinse, repeat.
	__________________ "So, they laugh at my boner, will they? I'll show them! I'll show them how many boners the Joker can make!" -- The Joker, Batman #66

17th December 2010, 07:01 AM	#7
Accidental Martyr Graduate Poster Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry. Posts: 1,852	A local radio station has donated a new tree. http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/12/...ngham_chr.html
	__________________ "Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile!" Kurt Vonnegut

15th December 2010, 01:37 PM	#4
shadron Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 5,719	Originally Posted by patchbunny Sadly, they rarely are. Metal dealers are all too willing to buy scrap with no questions asked. Indeed. A couple of years ago we had a mildly spectacular train wreck just down the hill; they used a large vacant lot across the street to tow all the damaged gondolas to. It took a crew of five about a month to carve up all the wrecked gondolas (there were perhaps a dozen). One night my son saw a couple of lights in the yard, and a truck came out with lights off till they got to the top of the hill. He called the local cops, and the next night they had a patrolman where they could watch the street. Greed being king, they caught a couple of local people coming in and loading up the aluminum. Their two previous hauls netted them about $85 each; the last one netted them about -$2500. The people at the commercial recycling center were, "Hear no evil, see no evil".

15th December 2010, 01:49 PM	#5
WildCat NWO Master Conspirator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albany Park, Chicago Posts: 49,111	Originally Posted by patchbunny Sadly, they rarely are. Metal dealers are all too willing to buy scrap with no questions asked. A few years ago here someone started stealing manhole covers. Needless to say, that leaves a dangerous hole in the middle of the street. All the scrap metal dealers were notified, and the manhole cover thefts stopped. But I've seen vacant/under construction homes with over $25,000 worth of damage because someone stole $50 worth of copper.

17th December 2010, 07:04 AM	#8
DC dedicated aphilatelist Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Switzerland Posts: 21,675	Originally Posted by patchbunny Public agencies are now burying utility pull boxes and covering them with concrete. What we've had people do is park at a pull box, open it, and cut all the wires. They then drive to the next one, cut the wires, tie them to their vehicle, then drive, pulling all the wire from the conduit. Lather, rinse, repeat. where was that?
	__________________ AGW is a fact, including the A, face it

17th December 2010, 07:20 AM	#9
commandlinegamer Philosopher Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mazes of Menace Posts: 5,905	It seems to be a common occurence these days. But it's not just limited to thefts of manhole covers or cabling. A few years back, a Henry Moore bronze sculpture was stolen [1], suspectedly for scrap, and not far from where I live a memorial statue to a mining disaster vanished only a couple of months after its unveiling. [1] - http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesi...clining-figure
	__________________ He bade me take any rug in the house.

17th December 2010, 07:55 AM	#10
ANTPogo Unique Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 9,466	Yeah, this has been front-page news here. What really makes me facepalm is that the thieves were using gasoline to try and get the plastic sheathing off of the copper wire. They poured gasoline on live bare electrical cable! Even if the cops don't nab 'em, with a track record of stupidity like that, I'm pretty sure they'll Darwin themselves sooner or later, thus taking care of the problem.

17th December 2010, 08:10 AM	#11
patchbunny Graduate Poster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Right about... here. Posts: 1,553	Originally Posted by DC where was that? I-80 in the California Sierras a few years ago, that I know of, but it's happened elsewhere often enough that burying our pullboxes is now standard policy.
	__________________ "So, they laugh at my boner, will they? I'll show them! I'll show them how many boners the Joker can make!" -- The Joker, Batman #66

17th December 2010, 10:04 AM	#12
Madalch The Jester Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The wet coast. Posts: 8,706	Originally Posted by commandlinegamer It seems to be a common occurence these days. But it's not just limited to thefts of manhole covers or cabling. A few years back, a Henry Moore bronze sculpture was stolen [1], suspectedly for scrap, and not far from where I live a memorial statue to a mining disaster vanished only a couple of months after its unveiling. [1] - http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesi...clining-figure Lots of statues have vanished in Canada. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto...ue-bronze.html
	__________________ As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of resolving approaches zero. -Vaarsuvius It's a rum state of affairs when you feel like punching a jar of mayonnaise in the face. -Charlie Brooker

17th December 2010, 10:14 AM	#13
TubbaBlubba Knave of the Dudes Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Communist Kingdom of Sweden Posts: 7,415	Isn't the market value of copper per kilogram ridiculously low?
	__________________ Disagreement begets progress.

17th December 2010, 11:05 AM	#14
Madalch The Jester Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The wet coast. Posts: 8,706	Originally Posted by TubbaBlubba Isn't the market value of copper per kilogram ridiculously low? No
	__________________ As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of resolving approaches zero. -Vaarsuvius It's a rum state of affairs when you feel like punching a jar of mayonnaise in the face. -Charlie Brooker

17th December 2010, 11:10 AM	#15
brodski Tea-Time toad Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 15,089	Originally Posted by Madalch No http://metalprices.com/PubCharts/Pub...&cs=1011&cid=0 That is the price per pound, you have posted no evidence as to what the price per kilo is.
brodski Tea-Time toad Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 15,089

17th December 2010, 11:26 AM	#16
Paul W Critical Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 469	Originally Posted by brodski That is the price per pound, you have posted no evidence as to what the price per kilo is. 1lb = 0.454kg Hence 2.203lb = 1 kg So, multiply by 2.2. (2.202643172 if you really want to be pedantic - and wrong). I appreciate that this is advanced mathematics, but a little thought provides an answer.
Paul W Critical Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 469	Last edited by Paul W; 17th December 2010 at 11:35 AM.

17th December 2010, 11:31 AM	#17
TubbaBlubba Knave of the Dudes Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Communist Kingdom of Sweden Posts: 7,415	Originally Posted by Madalch No http://metalprices.com/PubCharts/Pub...&cs=1011&cid=0 Isn't it still difficult to get a lot as scrap metal, though?
	__________________ Disagreement begets progress.

17th December 2010, 11:34 AM	#18
Hastur Critical Thinker Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 320	$9 and change for a kilo. This is a high price for the last two years at least.
Hastur Critical Thinker Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 320	__________________ "For theories which have no support but antiquity I have no veneration * * *" Justice Platt Potter "If frauds want to con people you don't even know out of large sums of cash that's none of your business." Jambo372 demonstrating his humanity

17th December 2010, 11:38 AM	#19
brodski Tea-Time toad Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 15,089	Originally Posted by Paul W 1lb = 0.454kg Hence 2.203lb = 1 kg So, multiply by 2.2. (2.202643172 if you really want to be pedantic - and wrong). I appreciate that this is advanced mathematics, but a little thought provides an answer. You know, I feel really foolish now. Almost as foolish as if I had given a serious and condescending reply to a post which clearly was not meant to be taken seriously. Almost that foolish, but not quite.
brodski Tea-Time toad Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 15,089

17th December 2010, 11:44 AM	#21
Madalch The Jester Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The wet coast. Posts: 8,706	Originally Posted by TubbaBlubba Isn't it still difficult to get a lot as scrap metal, though? There's a lot of copper around, in wires, pipes, plaques, statues, etc. Most people think of this material as serving a useful function to society. Others see copper objects as ten-dollar bills which aren't nailed down tightly enough. In Ayaan Hirsi's book, she mentions that NGOs in Somalia would, at the request of the Somalis, install telephone lines to improve communications between cities. The same Somalis would then run out and steal all the copper to sell as scrap. Then they would request that the telephone lines be replaced. They're not humans, they're "Homo Economicus" http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php...&id=2095#comic
	__________________ As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of resolving approaches zero. -Vaarsuvius It's a rum state of affairs when you feel like punching a jar of mayonnaise in the face. -Charlie Brooker

17th December 2010, 01:54 PM	#22
BenBurch Gatekeeper of The Left Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Universe 35.2 ms ahead of this one. Posts: 32,219	Originally Posted by patchbunny Sadly, they rarely are. Metal dealers are all too willing to buy scrap with no questions asked. I tried to convince my state senator that we needed a law tanking the thumbprint of anybody selling copper, brass or bronze scrap, or any item recognizable as a manhole cover or any railroad appliance. Legitimate sellers would never mind the thumbprint.
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