I think the cross bedded layer(s) is crucial. It takes time (years) to lay these layers down in spite of the fact TBar is an active place. Cross bedded layers must connect to an assignable time scale that makes sense. Palmer would have known that but he says nothing about it. Nada. Tom's scenario makes more sense in terms of the large cross bedded layer - Palmer's scenario fails to account for the cross bedded layer, and it may even conflict with its existence.
One fragment of money in the cross bedded layer even directly underneath the Ingram find, poses a problem.
Here are a couple of observations about the money find area at Tina Bar.
The 9 or 10 FBI agents, shown in a picture attached to one of Georger's posts above, seem to be digging their deep hole about the right distance from the water's edge. The Ingram family members gave at least a couple of versions of where the money was found. One was that it was just above the tide line and the other one was that it was near the tree line. The small trees shown in that picture are dead and would head downstream probably during the next high water event. Similiar small trees are also just up the beach from the water line today, but they are definitely not the ones shown in that 1980 photograph.
Tom Kaye has a diagram on his web page showing one bundle of bills with portions of several bills on the bundle top missing. I have previously referred to these missing bill fragments as having been "torqued" with the remaining portion of the bills being held by a single rubber band at one end. For this to happen, the bottom of the bundle would have to be constrained in the sand and the upper portion of the bundle exposed to water flow across the width of the bill. It might take several weeks of relatively low velocity water (such as the Columbia River flow at Tina Bar) to remove the upper bill fragments. Then something, such as more sand burying the entire bundle, would be required to stop the torquing and to hold the bundle in place until it was found in 1980.
So it seems to be the case that the bundles of the ransom money arrived at Tina Bar at the same time. One was in such a position and configuration that the water flow took off fragments of several of the bills before the bundle was "frozen" in place until the Ingram family found it. This total sequence could take several years and require only that the three bundles were probably still in the money bag when it paid a visit to Tina Bar. The bundles came out of the bag and stayed at Tina Bar until they were found. The money bag, the rest of the money, and maybe Cooper as well, then continued on down the river.
Does anyone on this thread have experience in river flows and comparing river water levels".
Let me tell you how I interpret this info.
The money was buried by Cooper (of course, everyone knows I believe Cooper was Sheridan Peterson) and later retrieved. During the retrieval--perhaps extraction is a better word--process, three bundles were accidentally left behind in the hole and reburied. I believe the "torquing" you refer to above took place during this extraction and reburial process. For the bills to get "misaligned" at this time makes sense to me.
At this point the bills are "set." For years the bills are "set" and do not move. Ultimately the bills fuse together and seriously degrade but this process takes several years. In fact, I believe TK proved this process would take several years given that when they unearthed their test bundle after 33 months there was virtually no sign of degradation.
Fast forward to 1980. By the time erosion had stripped away the several inches of sand on top of the bundles the bundles had fused and dramatically degraded. However, given that the bundles were still "set," everything was still in place, even the rubber bands which had dramatically degraded by this time as well.
I then believe wave action finally exposed the top bills to the elements. At this point, any wave activity would quickly begin to strip away the degraded bill pieces which would now be free to migrate because they are no longer buried. Additionally, given the advanced degree of degradation, I wouldn't be surprised if a few hours of constant wave activity--even slight wave activity--fully displaced the portions of the bills that were missing when the money was discovered. Simply put, I think it is likely that the bundles had only very recently been unearthed and the missing portions of the bills washed away before the Ingrams discovered them.
I believe the money arrived on Tena Bar Wednesday, November 24, 1971.
