The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-07-17

a LII other legends OF buried treausre
~ pale into insigniheahce beside
= = China's two-thousand- year-old clas-
sic dealing with Emperor Shih HwangTfs
Treasure Mountain" Thanks 10 The
Arabian nights" and sinbad the Sailors
descriptive powers. Chinas Treasure
Mountain and the astonishing obsequies OF
shih Hwang-Ti. designed by that First
Emperor" to insure his perpetual enjoy
ment OF his wealth in another world, are
familiar to every nation under the sun.
Shih Hwang-Ti began his reign in POI
b. c. II was he who welded Chinas very
ancient loose federation Of small princi-
palities into the empire which lasted until
two years ago, when Republican New China
came into being. During the twenty cen
turtles which have elapsed since the First
Emperors death. Treasure Mountain has
remained inviolate. its hearts immense
store OF jewels and precious metals con
tinuoussy and successfully guarded by the
bones of Shih Hwang-Ti and the bodies OF
his embaimed favorite conoubines, posed
in a radiant about the head OF his sar-
cophagus.
But New China Ia less superstitious.
less reverent than the old It's republican
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS money and credit
decided that royal ancestral bones must
not stand In the way. SO II granted con-
cession to the Standard oil Company 10
sink petroleum wells" In China at their
own sweet will within a certain vide
range Of territory.
Maybe these Americans will dig for
-incdentally-whil conducting
the most fascinating treasure hunt in
history For Treasure Mountain" happens
20 be pretty nearly the geographical centre
of their concession'
Thus. presently, in Western China. will
begin the strangest and most audacious
a.
tied capital.
With the whole world cognizant since
before the Crusades OF the legends. and
with the actual existence Of Treasure
Mountain, you viii wonder mat Shih
HwanR-ris bones have remained so long
undisturbed What was TO prevent the
sophisticated II Hung Chang or some
other enlightened and graspinE mandarin.
from seizing that immense treasure The
answer IL that a successful quest would
demand the services OF a small army OF
laborers-for the sarcophagus OF the First
Emperor with which % vas buried lies
deep within the mountains rOckbound
slopes. and no humble native Of that
country could be- tempted with money. or
Influenced by threats OF death. % disre-
gard the injunction % Shih Hwang-Ti 70
respect his bones
Besides the legend tells OF elaborate
measures taken BY the great emperor 20
wreak horrible punishment upon anyone
attempting 70 NtaNNNAlF DIS NNlNNf even
thousands OF years aftcrward. The popular
belief IN China is Eat those dire measures
are stll working
A. long a. four or Eve hundred years
ago adventurers from other countries. un
troubled by superstition. made frantic
efforts 20 discover the exact location of
Shih Hwang.Tfs treasure tomb
In these times there was no better clue
20 the Whereabouts ~ Chinas Treasure
Mountain than that contained in "The
Arabian Nights" in The Fourth Voyage
Of Sinbad the Sailor"
After sighting "some Oriental Islands.
Sinbads vessel. while making a great
tack was caught I'M squat and
wrecked The crew were auccored b.
islanders who turned out Co be- anthro
p0phaEi tcannibaisI The rest Of tht
crew were carefully fattcnod and eaten
but Sinbad feiEned illness could not cal
remaincd to- lean fo tempt the savHu
palate. and finally escaped 90 a populouf
land whose people were civilized and
friendly Hc won the kings favor. VII,
10