After lots of hype, West Point treasure box opening yields no bombshells, just silt

By MICHAEL HILL
Associated Press

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — A lead box believed to have been placed in the base of a West Point monument by cadets almost two centuries ago yielded no bombshells when unsealed during a livestreamed event, just silt. An audience at the U.S. Military Academy were primed to see military relics or historical documents as they watched Monday. But instead, experts pried open the top and announced there was just a layer of silt on the bottom. They said it appeared that moisture seeped in from a damaged seam on the box. That could have disintegrated any organic matter inside, like paper or wood. It’s also possible that sediment seeped into the box.