Historic Bell Stolen From San Francisco Cathedral
A priceless artifact, a 122-year-old bell, has been reportedly stolen from the St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco.
The manager of the church noticed that the bell had vanished Sunday morning. However, parishioners said they did not recall seeing the bell in the past month.
"Nobody can swear on a Bible and say the last time they saw the bell," police Inspector Brian Danker told the Examiner.
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The bell sat on a wooden platform in the garden of the cathedral and is around four feet tall, five feet wide. The bell weighs over 5300 pounds.
Officials are also unsure when exactly the bell disappeared.
"We're presuming it was stolen some time the night before or maybe even day before but it could have been another time," said George Wesolek, communications director for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
The bell was brought over as a memorial of the previous cathedral that burned to the ground in an arson fire in 1962 and is a staple at the cathedral.
"We can't really replace it because of it's historical value, it has a lot of depth in the community," Wesolek said
Police inspector Brian Danker called the bell a "priceless artifact."
The bell was constructed in 1889 at a Baltimore foundry then transported to San Francisco. It survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
The church is offering a unspecified reward for the bell, which is valued about $75,000. The bell is composed of 80 percent copper and 20 percent tin.
Police are now investigating if the stolen bell is related to other copper theft cases, including one where over $25,000 of copper wiring was stolen at a nearby intersection.
Authorities have also notified local junkyards and recycling centers to keep on the lookout for the bell.
"It belongs back with the parishioners," Danker said.
