“Excavating” Weirdest things Found During Construction Digs

It’s unavoidable that a lot of digging has to be done to prepare a site for construction. Most of the time, people do it by themselves especially if they’re low on budget. Some use shovels, picks, and rakes. For those who have the money, they hire contractors who have heavy equipment such as jackhammers, bulldozers, front, and backhoe loaders, and even cranes.

Excavating for construction purposes often includes some sort of demolition job to be done. In most cases, contractors use dynamites and other explosives to clear out an area in a construction zone. Most of the time, these digs often clean out spaces and turn up nothing. In the rarest of times, some do, however, end up digging unique and mysterious surprises.

Sure you can find tons of rocks, boulders, and dirt but some finds are just out of this world. From well-secured time capsules to almost 10 million dollars worth in gold coins, here are five of the weirdest discoveries during excavations.

Weirdest things found

MIT Time Capsule from 1957

At a recent construction project in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT, a group of students found a time capsule dating back from 1957. The capsule had been buried in the ground for almost 60 years.

Inside the time capsule were scientific papers and other bits of interesting items. It turns out, students from the old Compton Laboratories in MIT were the ones who buried the time capsule way back 1957. The capsule was never intended to dug up out so early as it was initially made to last until the year 2957. Talk about a blast from the past.

A Letter for Santa

As a kid, we all know that Santa often gives out gifts to good children. Some even write letters to tell old Saint Nick what exactly they want. A builder and his crew in the United Kingdom found an old letter dating to almost 60 years old while tearing down an old chimney during a demolition job.

The list had simple items on it such as a toy drum set, chalk, slippers, and a silk, tie to name a few. The team noticed that the letter could have never come from someone during this era because of the “simple things” listed on it. Surprisingly, a man in his old ages came forward and claimed the letter to be his.

In the spirit of Christmas, the demolition team gave back the letter and all the items as gifts to the old man. Heartwarming, indeed.

A 700-year-old Mummy

Way back 2011, a woman who was buried and mummified under a road in China was unearthed. Excavators who were doing a job on a new highway in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province of China say that the mummy was wearing an elegant silk robe. The mummy also had slippers and pieces of jewelry on it.

Amazingly, the mummy’s hair was still intact. The unique preservation of the mummy may have had to do with the mummy being found submerged under a mysterious brown fluid. Experts believe that the mummy was about 700 years old and belonged to a wealthy family during the Ming Dynasty.

Pablo Escobar’s Safe

Pablo Escobar is a well-known crime syndicate who founded the Medellin Cartel who is responsible for selling and distributing cocaine all over the world. The Cartel made Escobar a rich and powerful person. With that money, he brought a lot of property in the United States and other countries around the world.

Due to his passing, most of his assets were seized by the government and sold to private citizens. One of his properties in Miami was a pink beach house. The new owners decided to tear down the house to make room for another project.

The story goes on to say that there was a worker who noticed a gray safe before tearing down the last wall. The safe was never opened and was brought to an undisclosed location. According to some, the safe contained a bag that had cocaine in it. With the wealth that Pablo Escobar had, it’s no surprise that a lot of his properties have something good hidden in them.

Gold Coins

Considered as one of the most significant discoveries in U.S. history, a couple who were digging up in their backyard found a tin can full of coins that were worth up to 10 Million dollars. The middle-aged couple found the gold coins in a rusty tin can in their property.

The tin can had a staggering amount of gold coins, around 1400 to be exact. Every coin was in mint condition. The couple took the coins to professionals who would later claim that the coins were legitimate, highly valuable, and were never circulated in U.S. currency.

Takeaway

Excavating and Digging up is never an easy job to do. People who are on a budget often go DIY. For those who can afford it, they hire contractors. Anyone can think that digging up dirt is just a simple thing to do. The items listed above are a testament that you never know what you’re going to get if you’re digging dirt.

However, you shouldn’t be quick to grab that shovel and start digging when you have a construction project going on. You should hire reliable services from reputable groups such as Winola who can safely and efficiently do the heavy lifting for you.