The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-25

Queer Place In which Palace Is Built.
In the heart of Picking the capital of
China, stands a hill, the building on whose
crown Is the highest point within.
1t Is evident that the hin is not one OF
the original marks Of the landscape for the
plain In which peking lies was at one time
the bottom Of a branch of the sea, which
receding, has now left ii one hundred and
fifty mites from the coast and the city lies
in one of the leveiest spots Of the sandy
plain.
closer inspection OF this strange mound
reveals its artificial character for II has
none of those Irregularities with which ma
ture stamps It's work. The history of its
formation Is as follows.
In the early days of the northern capi-
tai, for such ~ the meaning of the name
Picking CPe, north; ching, capitaD. the city
was besieged for a long time by a tribe of
Mongols who had had come down through
The mountains on one of their periodical
raida.
They were a wild, fearless set of men.
whose ragged hair and unkempt dress with
the Characteristic yellow trimmings which
Mongols all affect added TO their natural
savage appearance They ranged through
the plain numbering and plundering and
finally brought up before the gates OF tho
city But the massive walls We're ample
protection against the prunderers who were
armed with no other weapon but their
spears and arrows.
The city was well supplied with food to
withstand long siege, so with the great
city closed and barred the Emperor and
people watched with complacency the
gathering hordes without knowing that
they could still be living well from their
immense stores, long after the besiegers
had completely exhausted the resources or
the barren pain around.
After trying the various entrances of the
city the Mongos camped about the city,
thinking the enormous population within
would soon exhaust it's food supply.
On their rough ponies trained to cours-
ing on the northern plains, the Monaghan
invaders would race about the city shoot
ing their arrows into the air at such an
angle that they would fan inside the city,
but the people within only moved a little
further from the walls. The droves of cam
els waiting to be loaded with plumber FAY
quietly In the distance.
The Siege had been on for some time
when the people within discovered that
while they had plenty of food and water,
their supply of fuef was almost exhausted.
This was a very serious matter for thems
for they had long known that without fuel
to boil their water before using epidemics
and fevers were sure to riot among them.
Their buildings were almost entirely OF
brick and stone so that thereswas little to
be CLEANED from that source. They care
fully husbanded their diminishing stock of
fuel but ii finally disappeared and in spite
of every precaution fever and cholera broke
out in the city and carried off thousands
But the diseases finally spread to the
invaders who, desparing Of taking the
city, gathered what plumber they could
from the villages OF the plain and retir-
ed through the mountain passes to their
northern home.
The hardships which they had suffered
through the siege had taught the people
a lesson and the Emperor did not intend
that his capital should be caught in such
d plight again, so no sooner had tho an
vaders disappeared than he began bring
ing into the city immense supplies of coal.
Month after month continuous trains of
camels moved back and forth between
the mines and the city and the pile of
coal in the city grew higher and higher
until It became a small mountain.
When II was deemed to have reached a
sufficient size 1t was carefully covered
with earth and planted which trees 60
hide ts true character, while teahouses
and walks were built upontit to give it
the appearance of a pleasure resort.
Only once since this coal hill was built
has 1t been opened At subsequent IN
vasion 1t was feared that the city gates
would be battered down and coal was
gates to barricade them but when the
danger was past It was replaced In the
hill.
so there in the heart Of the Chinese
capital has stood for centuries this hill
OF coal. mountainous pile Of fuel stored
no against The city's day Of need.