Interior

Staff and students at West Point , the famed US Military Academy , gathered on Monday for what was supposed to be a historic moment: the opening of a mysterious 1820s time capsule, discovered months ago at The Base of a campus monument.

The, starting with pre-recorded remarks from academy historian Jennifer Voigtschild, inviting The Audience to " literally uncover a piece of West Point history". Cadets were filmed offering their own predictions for what was inside the nearly 200-year-old lead Box : an American flag, boots, or maybe a class ring.

But instead, there was mud.

For the 30 Minutes prior, an auditorium full of cadets had watched as Ms Voigtschild led The School through the breathless build-up, inviting some of West Point 's top brass On Stage to celebrate the exciting moment.

In front of them, Centre Stage , was The Grey Box - 12in by 12in by 13in (30cm by 30 cm by 33cm) - and two school employees, standing by with purple rubber gloves and White Masks , prepared to unveil its contents.

The Box had been found a few months earlier, during the removal of a bronze statue of war hero Thaddeus Kosciuszko. Underneath the marble face of The Monument The Box was discovered, apparently placed there during the completion of the statute in 1829.

" We're guessing that it's an artefact, or what we would call today a time capsule, put there when The Monument was completed in 1829, " Ms Voigtschild said from stage.

But they were just guessing, she explained, because West Point researchers could find no reference to a Box , artefact, time capsule or any other object being placed inside The Base of the Kosciuszko statue. And because The Box was made of lead, an x-ray of the suspected time capsule showed only some " anomalies" in The Interior - Taken A Sign of something, though No One was sure what.

The auditorium fell quiet when The Box was eventually opened, the lid carefully pried open with a metal tool. The camera of the livestream zoomed close, capturing the painstaking efforts. Once safely opened, one employee took a tiny flashlight, scanning The Box 's contents.

He found nothing.

" We're not sure if it's soil or mud or dust, " He Said , adding later: " The Box didn't quite meet expectations. "

Still, maintaining hope that West Point 's ancestors didn't actually leave a Box of dirt to be found centuries later, the silt will be carefully inspected for any special contents.

" I Am sure some in our audience have questions for our various experts up On Stage ? " Ms Voigtschild said after the mud was found.

There were none.

Source of news: bbc.com