City police report that a large number of zinc wafers, such at those pictured above, were stolen from an East Main Street quarry and ask that anyone who encounters such zinc ingots, or has knowledge of the theft, call the detective bureau at 642-9386.
WESTFIELD – City detectives frequently find themselves canvassing scrap metal dealers in search of stolen copper tubing or other metal products but a recent theft of zinc ingots has them searching for something new.
Workers at the John S. Lane & Son quarry on East Mountain Road reported to police Sept. 27 that three rolls of heavy-gauge copper wire had been stolen but, when the supervisor sent workers to follow wheel barrow tracks, the copper wire was found, still in two wheel barrows also taken from the shed, about half a mile away.
However, a wafer of zinc was also found nearby and a subsequent inventory of the metal on hand revealed that a pallet load of zinc wafers was missing.
The metal is cast into wafers which allow pieces to broken off as needed much as pieces of chocolate can be easily broken from a Cadbury’s bar.
Hank Lane, the president of the company explained that zinc is used to be used extensively to cushion the interior of large cast steel vessels in which stone is crushed at the quarry but said that the metal has mostly been supplanted by a plastic compound which is safer to use.
He said that, although the shipment of zinc was valued at about $13,000 when it was purchased, the staff at the quarry does not know how much was left on the pallet to be stolen since it was has not been used frequently.
He said he does not know why the metal was targeted since, although it is heavy, zinc is a relatively inexpensive metal. A check of metal values at an Internet site showed that zinc was valued at $0.8638 per pound while, for comparison, copper was valued at $3.7919 per pound.
Det. Daniel Gustafson has been assigned to investigate and reports that in his conversations with scrap dealers he has learned that they rarely receive zinc as scrap.
He also said he was told that any metal in bars and ingots is unusual and often a subject for speculation among the workers so he is hopeful that, if the thieves attempt to sell the metal at an area scrap yard, he will hear of it.
He also asked that anybody with information about the theft, or who has encountered the unusual metal wafers, call him at 413 642 9386.
