In 1913, the trenches became separate to facilitate the more frequent disinterment of adults. The construction project involved the excavation of indigenous burial grounds and disinterment of human remains. This did not affect the Chinese population as much as the Disinterment Ordinance did. The disinterment, witnessed by Ethel Kennedy and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, began at 5&colon;30 PM. But by the time of disinterment, the numbers on many of these coffins were unreadable. They dug heather and branches into the soil to make disinterment more difficult. The first disinterment was the six-year-old child buried in 1886. As they organise digs and disinterment, they wonder at the scale of their task. Disinterment ended at 10&colon;00 P.M. local time. The Soviets arranged for their disinterment and had them reburied at the new Novodevichy Cemetery. Exhumation, or disinterment, is the act of digging up, especially a corpse.