Green’s Dictionary of Slang

stealing lead from the roofs of buildings.

1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn) 190: Bluey Cracking breaking into empty houses and stealing lead.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1891		F.W. Carew Autobiog. of a Gipsey 413: I got a charge of small shot in my legs and a treemoon o’ reesbin for bluey-crackin, and when I come out ’er steel I padded the hoof to Start.
1895		Jrnl Soc. Estate Clerks of Works 8-9 53/1: A glossary of obsolete and trade words, which includes many that readers of this Journal are probably familiar with, and some which [...] they are not; for instance ‘bluey cracking’ [...] ‘breaking into a house to steal lead’.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 58: Bluey Cracking, breaking into an empty house and stealing lead.