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1.

Chapter IV

Excavation Works: The Fall Season of 1929.

The excavation work in the fall season of 1929 may be divided into two periods: the first period lasting from October 7th to the 21st, altogether two weeks; the second period lasting from November 15th to December 12th, altogether four weeks.  When the work was started in the first period, cotton crops were not yet reaped, the activity was limited to a small scope; in the second period, the ground became entirely barren, the scope of the work was also doubled.  In this chapter, the digging activity of the season's work will be summarized, including descriptions of some of the important discoveries.

A. Hsiao-t'un in the fall of 1929.

When we [[superscript]](1)[[/superscript]] first arrived at An-yang in the fall, what surprized us most was the conspicuous change that had taken place of the surface conditions in the neighborhood of Hsiao-t'un.  After our forced departure from An-yang, last spring, owing to the sudden change of military and political situation in North China, there occurred several rainstorms in An-yang.  This was followed by a big mountain flood, the Huan River overflowed on both banks.  Even the railway station was flooded.  According to the report from our own workmen who watched the station in Huan-shang Ts'un, only the rush work of the soldiers who stationed at Huan-shang Ts'un saved this place from being swept away by the flood.  The bank near Hsiao-t'un were cut away at many places by these innundations and at some points, many acres of land were lost.  The lower part of the field north of Hsiao-t'un was also inundated for some time.  The result was, owing to the deposit made by this flood, the gain of some elevation in such places.  Thus

(1) The personnel of the party remained the same as last year, except that Mr. Wang Ch'ing-ch'ang, our surveyor, resigned. His position was taken by Mr. Chang Wei-jen.