Gold has always been a desirable metal. This goes back to ancient times. Alchemists felt there was a way to turn ordinary substances into gold. A silk purse out of a sow's ear, so to speak. There was of course the California Gold Rush of 1849 when gold was found at Sutter's Mill. There were Klondike gold rushes that brought people to freeze in Alaska.
Gold figures in plenty of movies. Think of 'The Treasure of Sierra Madre.' Think of the James Bond early classic 'Goldfinger,' and Goldfinger's attempt to empty Fort Knox. Goldfinger's first name is even gold, "Auric," with Au being the Periodic Table symbol for gold.
On a morning news show a week or so ago, I saw a piece of video that showed a guy approaching the back of a truck parked in the Diamond District and lifting out what looked like a five gallon bucket, the kind paint can come in, or more usually joint compound.
What made this newsworthy was that he was stealing the bucket from the back of an armored car, and the bucket contained what was first reported to be "gold flakes," worth $1.6 million. Apparently, one guard was somewhere else, and the second guard was turning the ignition off. The back door to the vehicle had been left open. No forceful entry was needed; no weapons were pointed. Gone in 10 seconds. And no one pursued the guy.
Michael Wilson, who writes about some of the odder crimes in New York City for the NYT, has a piece that gives a complete rundown of the details. The summary is: the guy who stole the bucket is still at large; they know who he is, identified from street cam surveillance video; the theft took place on September 29th; the Loomis armored car drivers have been fired; the company has posted a $100,000 reward; it was not an inside job.
There is extensive video pieced together of this guy's heavy-laden zigzag east from 48th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue, to Smith and Wollensky's steak house on 49th and Third, where he disappeared into a white van.
It was first reported the bucket had gold flakes in it. These flakes are the leftovers from the work jewelers do when creating gold jewelry, and in the trade are called "bench sweeps."
It was later reported there were flakes, and larger scraps of gold in the bucket, rough-edged bars of gold, with Sharpie scrawled identifying numbers. The gold is collected from various jewelers and brought to a processing center to be refined into purer gold. Those flakes have value.
Considering that the bucket contents have no doubt reached an outlaw refinery by now, it is wondered what kind of evidence the police will have if they are able to catch the perpetrator. Jaywalking with a bucket will be a new class of crime.
I recently saw the Irish Repertory's production of 'Finian's Rainbow,' a nice confection of a musical that was first on Broadway in 1947, running for over 700 performances. Somewhat of a hit. There was even a terrible 1968 movie made of it with Fred Astaire and Petula Clark, but that's another story.
The music is good, but he story is a bit silly by today's standards. Finian brings a pot of gold on stage any buries it. Another character, a leprechaun, claims there are three wishes the pot of gold can grant. A very updated version of the play might be for Loomis Armored Car service to wish for the return of their stolen bucket of gold. Not happening.
If anyone remembers the not-do-great movie 'Paint Your Wagon' that they made from the Lerner and Lowe Broadway musical, you might remember Clint Eastwood was in the movie, and was credited by a NYT critic with singing like a mule.
Also in the movie was Lee Marvin, who at the end of the movie has the great idea to collect all the gold dust that has been spilled from those grimy sacks prospectors have been bringing into the bars casinos and whorehouses, the "bench sweeps" that have fallen through the floor boards of those establishments.
Mr. Marvin's character digs an elaborate set of tunnels underneath these building in order to capture the dust spilled through the floorboards. The tunneling is extensive, but not well supported. It all eventually comes crashing down on him.
When I saw the movie I thought of Manhattan, how it really should just collapse because so much of it is hollow with tunnels and passageways. The place should cave in, but doesn't.
The stitched together surveillance video is probably not on YouTube, but apparently it shows the perp struggling to run and wobble with an 86-pound bucket, while not being a Navy Seal. There apparently is even a point where the guy almost trips.
Imagine, the streets could have been paved with gold.
http://www.onofframp.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment