Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-07-16
FREEMASONRY IN JERUsALEM.
Establishment OF a Lodge In the An.
eient City-"COttOn Megara," or
Royal Quarry, the Meeting Place Of
the Fraternity.
From Jerusalem Correspondence New York
World.l

Lodge in the city OF Jerusalem, un
der American auspices, which ha!
been long on foot, has at length sue
ceeded. Adviees were received few
days ago from Mr.. John SheYille, NhC
was sent out last spring for that pur
pose, that ION Wednesday, May 7th
he organized the Royal Solomon
Mother Lodge No. 29S, in due and
ancient form, in the Great Mark
Masters Quarry. under the city oil
Jerusalem, and initiated eandidate.' p
As q preface to this remarkable in.
eident, which forms an era in Mason
ic history, we give an accurate ground
plan of the Cotton Megara Tor Royal
Quarry,) with which travellers to Je-
rusalem are familiar. The very ex-
istence of this vast cavern under the
city had been forgotten, Upon the
whole, it is the settled opinion that
no knowledge of the great quarry later
than the first or second century Of the
Christian era exists, and it was re-
served for an American missionary,
DIR. ]. T, Barclay, to bring the fact to
light. Some twenty years since,
passing:aIong outside the north wall
Of Jerusalem, his dog, in pursuit of a
rat, scratched an opening under the
wall and disappeared from the eyes of
his master. This led to an enlarge
ment OF the opening and the most re-
markable discovery that this most
wonderful of cities has ever yielded.
1t was found under the northeast
quarter of Jerusalem as an abandoned
quarry of such vast extent as to an
swer most satisfactorily the query
that has long puzzled antiquaries !:
"Where did SOlomon's builders pro-
cure the native stone for the walls
and substructures of the Temple ?n
To enter this weird and mysterious
crypt it is necessary to pass outside
the city at the north or Damascus
gate and turn to the right, The city
wall here is about fifty feet high and
of corresponding thickness. 1t vas
erected, as an arabic inscription shows
in the year Hegira 948, equivalent to
A. ID. 1912, by order of the Sultan
Suleym&n. In constructing this wall
all sorts Ofmassive materials were used
granite columns, marble blocks and
huge beveled ''ashlars," that had done
similar duty in mural structures ever
since the days of Solomon.
The entrance into the great quarry
has been enlarged with spade and
chisel so that it is an easy matter now
to visit the place. The point of en-
trance will readily be recognized in
the engraving. Lighting candles to
dissipate the midnight darkness you
pass first in easterly direction 113
feet. The way is ovel great mounds
of rubbish, partly artificial, as the
marks of chisels show; partly made
up of pieces that have fallen from the
ceiling. Then the way turns, at
nearly q right angle to the south, 400
feet. The marks of chisel and ham,
mer become more and more evident.
Blocks of squared stone, in every
stage of preparation, from the rough
to the perfect, cucumber the pathway.
Piles of ofelippings are heaped up every
where. Upon the sides Of the quarry
deep, narrow grooves are seen, cut
lengthwise and perpendicular, mark
ing out the dimensions of proposed
blocks, and showing the ancient
method of detaehing the stones from
their native bed. The marble is Of q
soft, friable nature, called in the ma
tive tongue Helekeh Ia piece of which
has been sent to this ofiiee.) Occas-
sionally harder vein of stone occurs.
but the same chemical composition,
and this the natives call Hezzeh.
Turning again to the left we go the
distance of 1876 feet to where a small
basin, ehiseled in the harder rock,
five feet in diameter and half as deep
was male to collect water for the
workmen of Hiram" The water at
present is bitter and disagreeable u
the taste. Near this fountain is a
deep circular pit, in which lies hu-
man skeleton, probably ofone Of those
early Christian devotees who used
the quarries of Jerusalem for the same
purpose as the catacombs of Rome,
viz, as places of eoncealment during
the prosecutions of the first four CEN
turies of our era.
A little further to the south there is
an apartment eighteen, feet square,
which, from its regular form, seems
designed for a particular purpose.
Great numbers of bats cling to the
roof, which is forty feet high. Bones
Of various kinds, brought in probably
By jSckais, prove that there were once
ample openings to the cavern. Nu-
merous crosses are traced upon the
wall and a few Hebrew inscriptions,
but not sufficiently lepible to be un-
ierstood. 1t was in this apartment, |
heneeforward known among Free |
as "the Chamber of the Broth |
erty Covenant" that the Royal Sol
1mon Mother Lodge, No. 293, of Free |
Masons was duly organized, May Z.
Since 1868, most Jealous and unre- |
efforts have been pursued by |
DR.. Morris and his associates to secure |
The organization of regular lodge in |
Jerusalem. The difficulties, almost |
were referaOle TO the |
of the craft in the East, their |
numerous languages, their ineXperi- |
snce in Masonic work, the want OF /
chambers for lodge rooms. &c, |
ind most of all the fact that there is |
40 Grand Lodge of Masons in the |
70 organize this lodge at Jerusalem /
from the death ofthe Hon. /
John p. Brown, at COnstantinOple, !
md one from the degradation and /
ieath of the Pacha General at Syria, /
MohEmmed Reschild. The nearest |
o5ges were at Beyrout Syria, 150 |
N the north, and Port Said, Egypt, |
100 miles to the southwest; but with |
n the memory of man there has been /
40 lodge at Palestine.
AT last all the named difficulties |
we're. overcome, and a warrant was is
lued by the Grand Lodge of Canada. |
Under this authority the Rev. Mr.. /
John Sbeville left New York April s;
,onfered with Masonic company at /
Cairo, Egypt, May 2, arrived at Jeru-
allen May 6, and on the 9Th Of May, |
he day named in the warrant, organ
zed the lodge.
Collecting together twelve of the
.esident and visiting Masons of Ieru- |
alem, including four Of those speci-
led in the warrant, Mr.. Sheville en-
ere1 the vast and gloomy vault at 3 |
}. m, and proc eeded with guides and |
orches to "the Chamber of the Broth
.rly Covenant" already named, where
he Masonic emblems, Engraved by /
Dr.. Morris in 1858, remain TO designate
he place, Upon a square pillar which
marks the center OF the chamber the
,ssential objects constituting
THE GREAT LIGHTS" OF MASONRY.
we're displayed in traditional order.
4 proper arrangement of officers and !
members followed, and the well 4
Known forms of organizing the lodge |
the work to the royal pat
on, King Solomon, were proceeded /
With. On the same evening q resi-
Ient of Jerusalem. a. gentleman Of I