California schoolchildren find treasure during lake cleanup
A 400-year-old 150-pound metal chest is displayed in one of the alcoves of the Pirate Soul Museum 10 January 2005 in Key West, Florida.
Sixth graders in northern California discovered "sunken treasure" while cleaning up an Oakland area lake this week.
The kids were doing their weekly cleanup of Lake Merritt when they found two big canvas bags filled with jewelry and metal, ABC News said.
Among the loot: rings, pocket watches, candlesticks and a spoon.
There is a chance the kids stumbled upon stolen stuff. One bag had a Wells Fargo logo on its side, ABC News reported.
"I think someone was trying to steal it, and someone was on their tail, and they dumped it there," one student told the Oakland Tribune.
Police are checking if any of the found items had been reported as stolen. If the treasure goes unclaimed, it will be turned over to St. Paul's Episcopal School.
The school's students have been cleaning the lake each week for more than a decade, the Oakland Tribune said.
More from GlobalPost: Occupy Oakland plots next move
More from GlobalPost: Latin America's hidden growth story
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?