A historic bell reported stolen from the garden at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco last weekend was found near a scrap yard in Oakland this afternoon, police said.
The copper bell, which weighs several thousand pounds, was reported stolen on Sunday from the church, located at 1111 Gough St., according to San Francisco police.
A police inspector called the bell a “priceless artifact” that was made in 1889, and survived the 1906 earthquake and a fire that burned down the original St. Mary’s Cathedral on Van Ness Avenue in the 1960s.
Police received a tip around 2 p.m. today about the whereabouts of the bell. Investigators responded and found it in an open area across the street from a scrap yard near Ninth and Pine streets in West Oakland.
The bell was sitting on top of two beams and was covered by a tarp, according to police.
No arrests have been made in connection with the case.
Anyone with information about the theft is encouraged to call the Police Department’s Northern Station at (415) 553-1563, the anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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