The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-18

A IL other legends of buried treausre "A pale into insignificance beside < \ China's wo-thousand-y year-old clas- sic dealing with Emperor Shin Hwang-Ti's Treasure Mountain Thanks to "The Arabian nights and Sinbad the Sailors descriptive powers, China's 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 221 B. c. It 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 turies which have elapsed since the First Emperor's death, Treasure Mountain has remained inviolate, it's hearts immense store of jewels and precious metals con tinuousiy and successfully guarded by the bones of Shih Hwang-Ti and the bodies of his embalmed favorite concubines, posed in a radiant about the head of his sar- cophagus
 But New China is less superstitious, less reverent than the old. Its republican administration-needin money and credit decided that royal ancestral bones must not stand in the way So it granted a con- cession to the Standard Oil Company to "sink petroleum wells" in China at their own sweet will within certain wide range of territory.
 Maybe these Americans will dig for petroleum-incidental conducting the most fascinating treasure hunt Tn history. For Treasure Mountain" happens to be pretty nearly the geographical centre of their concession.
 Thus presently, in Western China, will begin the strangest and most audacious treasure quest ever stimulated by unlim- tied capital.
 With the whole world cognizant since before the Crusades of the legends. and with the actual existence of Treasure Mountain you will wonder that Shih Hwang-Tis bones have remained so long undisturbed What was to prevent the sophisticated u Hung Chang, or somc other enlightened and grasping mandarin, from seizing that immense treasure? The answer is that a successful quest would demand the services of small army of laborers-for the sarcophagus of the First Emperor with which it was buried lies deep within the mountains rock-bound slcpes and no humble native of that country could be tempted with money, or influenced by threats of death, to disre- gard the injunction of Shin Hwang-M to 
 Besides, the legend tells of elaborate measures taken by the great emperor to wreak horrible punishment upon anyone attempting to desecrate his tomb, even thousands of years afterward. The popular belief in China is that those dire measures are still working.
 As long as four or five hundred years ago adventurers from other countries, un- troubled by superstition, made frantic efforts to discover the exact location of Shin Hwang-T's treasure tomb.
 In these times there was no better clue to the whereabouts of China's 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 great tack,' was caught in squall and wrecked. The crew were succored by islanders who turned out to be anthro- pophagi (cannibals). The rest of the crew were carefully fattened and eaten but Sinbad feigned illness, could not eat, remained too lean to tempt the savage palate, and finally escaped to a populous land whose people were civilized and Friendly He won the kings favor, who