Cold Metal in the Garbage Can

[Glen Livingstone]

Metal Thieves Steal Radio Tower

Risk-Taking Thieves Steal Scrap Metal

6:35 pm EDT September 9, 2008

WINDBER, Pa. -- Police in Somerset County are trying to figure out how a radio tower went missing in Windber. Police say a group of people had a very thorough plan to get all 120 feet of steel and copper down from the old Windber radio tower.

Police believe the thieves threw cables over the guidelines of the tower and yanked it down with a truck. Police also found cut bolts and torch marks on nearby grass. Police say the tower had to be cut into small pieces in order to get it out of the wooded area, but they can't figure out how they did it without anybody noticing.

"There's probably a half a dozen routes that come in and out of that area. At least 20 four-wheelers and ATV riders go through there a day," said Paint Township Police Chief Rick Skiles.

The thieves also got away with a 300-pound Penelec transformer full of copper.

The radio tower hasn't been used for years, but the family who owns it was in talks with a company to use the tower to bring wireless Internet to Windber.

"There was an Internet company that approached my son. That's all gone now, so what're you going to do? He lost a good bit of money," said Jay Shaffer.

The Shaffer family is offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. The police chief said convicted could face felony charges.

If you have information call police at 1-800-362-5060.

2008 WJACTV

[Glen Livingstone]

Cold Metal
- Iggy Pop

I played tag in the auto graveyard
I looked up at the radio tower
Rag tent by the railroad tracks
Concrete poured over steel bridge
Pondered my fate
While they built the interstate

I'm a product of america
From the morgue to the prisons
Cold metal, when I start my band
Cold metal, in my garbage can
Cold metal, gets in my blood
And my attitude

Yeah, a huh

Threw my hide in an automobile
Heard a song called "drive the wheel"
Truckers, trailers, tractors caught me workin'

This is the song of my heritage
From the bad to the buddha
Cold metal, that's what it be
Cold metal, from sea to sea
Cold metal, it's how we win
And also how we sin
How we sin, how we sin, how we sin, how we sin

Cold metal, in the afternoon
Sounds lovely like a hendrix tune
Cold metal, it's the father of beat
The mother of the street
Cold metal, it rolls on by
Cold metal, gonna raise it high
Cold metal, it'll even fly
Rust buckets in the sky
Cold metal, got to be
Skeleton of the free
Cold metal, it's gotta be
Better save a tree
Save a tree, save a tree, save a tree, save a tree