In San Francisco metal thieves have made off with the 122-year-old, 2.7-ton bell. The bell, which is 5 feet across, must have been lifted by a crane and carted away by more than an average truck.
The bell at St. Mary’s Cathedral rang through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. It survived when an arsonist torched the old cathedral in 1962. And although it was replaced with an electronic chime in the 1970s, for decades it stood strong on a wooden platform outside the rebuilt church.
Nobody realized the bell was missing until Sunday morning. A parishioner mentioned that it wasn’t where it was supposed to be, a secluded outside corner of the cathedral. Then everyone realized that they couldn’t remember seeing the bell for the last month.
Police assume the bell was taken more recently, but can’t be sure.
“Nobody can swear on a Bible and say the last time they saw the bell,” said police Inspector Brian Danker.
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News category: Odd Spot.
