Well, why not. Don't normally like to chime in on these threads because
being in the Southwest, everything is usually covered by the time I get to
the office!

Anyway, having directed excavations under several of the structures at the
Goodwood Plantation in Tallahassee 10 years back, I need to emphasize a few
of the comments already made (all important, by the way). First, crew safety
is paramount. Structural stability, lighting, critters, and ventilation,
ventilation, ventilation!! Some of you might be amazed that when it's 100
degrees and 100 percent humidity outside, that the soil/sediment under
structures is so dry that it can become airborne with the slightest motion
or movement. And I can appreciate the reviewer's comment about using a spray
bottle to settle the dust, but it doesn't work. It just wets down the top mm
and as soon as you crawl through that layer, the wet soil is on you and
you've exposed more dust. The two most important things are a chemical
cartridge type protective mask and some sort of ventilation system to keep
the air moving.

And as Dan (Hughes) brought up in his response, pull people out at regular
intervals. No matter how hard it may be to access, on of the Goodwood under
house excavations was so tight that I was the only one who could get in,
make sure people get out to stretch and breath "good" air at regular
intervals.

And come to think of it, it would have been handy to have had communications
capabilities with my crew. Add radios or walkie talkies to the list of
"essentials."

Matthew Sterner
Statistical Research, Inc.



----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel H. Weiskotten" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 7:16 PM
Subject: Underhouse Archaeology


> A few days ago I had the pleasure to visit Charles Pinckney National
> Historic Site at Snee Farm northeast of Charleston, SC.  I was impressed
at
> the use of archaeology to tell the story of the plantation during
> Pinckney's time, a necessity because none of Pinckney's buildings remain.
>
> http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/chpi/index.htm
>
> I was quite interested in the "underhouse" excavations as I have one site
> that lies under an existing building and I have another building that has
> been tested all around, but not under (although a mass of late 18th
century
> wine bottle fragments were found in the 1980s while enlarging the stairs
to
> the 20th century furnace room).
>
> What guidelines, techniques, clothing, dust masks, health issues, words of
> wisdom, etc., do listers have to share?
>
> I am well aware of black widows!
>
>         Dan W.
>