http://www.phillynews.com/inquirer/99/Nov/28/international/WINDMILL28.htm

In Texas, Y2K fears may account for a pattern of windmill thefts

By Gale M. Bradford

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWS SERVICE

WEATHERFORD, Texas - A windmill thief is on the loose in Parker County, Texas, and Sheriff Jay Brown and others believe that the heists might be Y2K-related.

A windmill - with 8-foot metal blades and a 24-foot tower - was stolen recently from a ranch near Millsap. The previous week, a windmill head was stolen.

"With this Y2K thing coming on, everybody wants a windmill," Brown said.

The owner of a Fort Worth windmill company agrees.

"It's a bumper year for windmills. I call it the Y2K crazies," said Mark Welch, owner of the Second Wind Windmill Service Co., which sells 200 to 300 windmills yearly to working ranches, and 10 or so more as "yard toys."

Welch said that along with stocking up on food, ammunition, batteries and hand pumps, some people were scrambling for windmills.

"They're fearful that electricity will fail and they won't have a way to get water," Welch said.

"I've sold two hand pumps in 20 years and had one in my inventory for years, then finally discounted it to almost nothing to get rid of it. Two years ago, they cost about $210. Today they cost about $650, and you have to get on a 16-week waiting list just to order one."

George Conley of Springtown, Texas, said that about half the windmills he installed were just for looks.

"I would think it would take somebody extra brave and bold to steal a windmill, but it wouldn't be impossible," he said. "It could be a popular thing to do today because some people put one up just for looks. In other words, they aren't connected to a water well. They're just put up to look good and to look at."

Buster Nations of Millsap, who reported a windmill stolen from his ranch, said: "The fact that windmills have become a popular yard ornament could have generated a market for them.

"I think it's more people wanting to put them up for appearance sake. They don't have any need to use them."

-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@Tminus32&counting.down), November 28, 1999

Answers

see windmills all over the place here in west texas if i was a thief would get one but am not so will suffer but know where the running ones are. not that i will steal them but may be able to barter for water. as for the ornament thing on windmills as stupid as everyone is ...is possible

-- sandy (rstyree@overland.net), November 29, 1999.

My bet is on some boneheads running around stealing the windmills to meet landscaping service requests. If this was a wave of windmill thefts for Y2K, I'd think that somebody would be pulling out pumps, too.

But the stary relates that it's only the windmills or windmills heads that are going, not pumps. Are the folks involved extra thick, boneheads who think that a windmill can be used to run an electric well pump?

If there's a four month waiting list for pumps, why steal a windmill if you won't get your pump until three months into next year. So again, I say put your money on somebody wanting to keep up with the neighbors and getting their bug lawn ornaments through a shady landscaper.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), November 29, 1999.