US military 'time capsule' from 1820s opened to reveal nothing but dust

The US Military Academy at West Point in New York were so excited about a potential discovery that they live-streamed the box unsealing

A lead box believed to potentially hold significant military artifacts was opened in front of a live in-person and online audience, revealing nothing but a layer of sediment at the bottom of the box.

The box was discovered at the base of a monument to Thaddeus Kościuszko, a Polish military leader who fought in the Revolutionary War, at the US military's West Point academy. Experts believe it was placed there in 1828.

Before the opening, cadets at the military academy placed bets on what they thought would be revealed in the apparent time capsule.

"I think there's an American flag in there," said Cadet Baines. Cadet Baker guessed that "a pair of boots" from 200 years ago would be found.

Cadet Barrie said: "I think there's another, smaller time capsule in there." Cadet Stoldt placed also her bets on old documents: "I think there are maps of West Point in there."

“A little disappointed. We built up to this quite a bit,” Paul Hudson, West Point archeologist, said after the event.

“And I’ll tell you the truth, that was the last outcome that I expected with all the trouble that they went to create that box, put it in the monument."

The audience were heard groaning and laughing as the contents of the box were revealed.

The underwhelming results of the live opening brought comparisons to Geraldo Rivera’s televised unsealing of Al Capone’s vault in 1986, with academy officials joking about the possibility before the official unsealing.

“I was told yesterday that if we had a sense of humour, we would have asked Mr Rivera to be up here with us,” Gen. Shane Reeves, the academy’s academic dean, told the crowd of cadets, officers and civilians.

Hudson said it appeared that moisture seeped in from a damaged seam on the box and it was likely that sediment got inside.

The conditions also could have disintegrated any organic matter inside, like paper or wood.

“We’re going to remove all of that sediment and we’ll screen it through some fine mesh screen and see if anything comes out of it,” Hudson said.

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