Someone Is Stealing An Illinois City’s Manhole Covers…But Why?

When I first read about what's currently happening with manhole covers in an Illinois city, I realized that I really don't know anything more about manholes and manhole covers other than the manhole cover is heavy, and you can get hurt really badly falling down an open manhole. Pretty much what everyone else over the age of 10 knows.

So, here's a quick recap of things I've learned recently about manholes and manhole covers (hat tip to Sehinc.com):

• 18 million manholes dot the surface of the United States.
• In the 1st Century A.D., Romans made the first manholes out of sandstone.
• On older manhole covers, square pegs provided grip for horse hooves.
• Today’s manhole covers are made of cast iron, concrete or both, and weigh about 110 pounds.
• The oldest manhole cover in NYC is 150 years old.

Manholes are round for safety.

• A round cover can’t fall down a round hole.
• A square manhole cover, tilted on it’s side can, risking injury to anyone below.
• Also, a round manhole cover has a smaller surface than a square one, so less material is needed to cast the cover, meaning less cost to produce.
• Round manhole covers can be easily transported by rolling, and they don’t need to be rotated to align with the manhole.

I Also Had No Idea How Often, And How Badly, People Get Hurt Every Year By Manholes and Manhole Covers

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), every year in the United States there are around 5,000 injuries related to manholes and manhole covers, with about 60 percent related to tripping and falling.

Fractures, sprains, broken bones, knocked out teeth, and even traumatic brain injuries are common results with accidents related to manholes and their covers.

You can see why the police in an Illinois city are asking for the public's help in finding whoever is stealing a bunch of manhole covers throughout the city.

Which city?

Gurnee, Illinois' Manhole Covers Are Being Stolen At An Alarming Rate, And The Cops There Are Reaching Out To Citizens For Help In Cracking The Case Before People Start Cracking Their Heads Falling Into Open Manholes

Even though this has the potential to be a very serious problem if people start getting hurt, the Gurnee Police Department is keeping a sense of humor about the situation of the missing manhole covers: