Phoenix weekly herald., 1897-11-18
ARIZONA FREE MASONS The Grand Bodies of the Order
 Meet in Bisbee.
ASSEMBLED IN 4 CAVE.
Half a Mile Underground, in a Huge Cavern of the Copper Queen Mine Their
 Mystic Rites are
 Exemplified.

The meet ag Of tbs Grsnd bodice C
 FEee Masonry aF E scs- this week b.
 ginning on ths 9tb instant, was g
 event in the nlstosy Of Free Masonry i
 the Territory s1 q ia the country neve
 Eo be forgotten by those Vbo partic
 psted on theS Interesting occasion.
 was marked by s ssss.on Of the six
 teenth snDuel commu1 Ication of 5h
 M.- w.. Grand Lodge of Arizona, th
 opening of the seventh s1nuel coavoca
 tlon Of the M.- E .. Grend Chapter c
 Arizona, and tbe openIrg of the fiftt
 annual coucl5va Of tte Grand Gem
 mendery of Knights uempiar of AEi
 zone, in huge ar d beautiful ceve oi
 the Copper Queen. located soEe $50 feet
 beneath the auTfecs and reached by
 traveFsing an even Ds!f- mile Of tunnsl
 from the shaft by which the level of the
 tunnel WAS reached.
 The communication of the Grand
 Lodge opened on the morning of the
 Ssh instant in the elegant new hall just finished and taken possession of by Perfect Ashiar Lodge No. 12, F. and A. M., of this iuEisdiction.
 At the opening there was one hGudred and thirty Mssons present, more than three times as many as are usuelly present on that occasion; and when the session was held in the cavernoue depths of the Copper Queen mine beneath the towering mountains that surround Bisbee, on th6 second day of the ses- sion, ons hundred eud fifty mssons were lowered to that memorable and now Masonic level by which the great cave was reached
 Of course the great moment oe inter- est in she business Of ths different bodies of the fraternity aeesm bled was bhe gathering in the csve after the manner Of those eDcisnt msGone who zealoualy guarde q their mysteries by gathering on the tops of the highest hills, In ths secrecy of tbc lowest Vslee, in the gloom Of the deepest forests, and in the caves of the eartt; but this cu5 tom while emphasized by the neces- sities of the period, the lack Of suitsble and safe places Of meeting iu the etruo- lures of tbs time, wss DO dou ot largely influenced by shs religious customs of che ancient fathers who lspR before the erection of tenp ples wo-stIppe6 the celestial bodies from the tol Of the hills end the terrestrial bodies from the depths of tbs valleys; this same pFim- itiVe custom probably laed tbe Christians to build thsir temples of worship op tbe 1 tops of eminen css es did the ancient Jews brfore them, though n the case Of the Ch ristieue ss With the Mseons l the cna oa was furiber mede neceeesry by desfre for ssfety.
 I5 had been decided 10 hold the see- sions Of ths various branches oe Mason | ry in she cave on Wedos sdey it not l having been fully prepared at the bonr | of meeting on Tuesday. ard so as 70 o'clock on Wednesday the entire body | of Mssone present msrche0 from ths hall So the mouth Of ibe shaft and six at time were sbos down by he hoist | through the impenetrs bIe gio0n of two | hundred end twenty feet of shat5 to i bhe level that lead to the cave half | mile distant. Then began the long march in single file through the wind ing, asgiing tunnel which wae the entire diessncs bs l candles set about ten feet spart and each turn and cross- cut carefully | guarded by Mssone, who ars employed in the mire, gill at length the iudivi- dual passed through a temporary door in fo Q eceac os ircvprarcFbIe erEordo- and beauty - the illuminated cave Phe figure, the strength. the symmetry, the polished eiabaster, fhs glit5sring wealth of gold aud J.vsls of King Soiomon's temple were hsrs dazed and dimmed iato irsignifcancs by She bril- Iiancy, the sbouudi5R vselth Of ex- quiaise forms of besuty, tLe msjsstic splsudor of tuga eb0tmsnts literally covered by lbe most dsiicsts tracey, the flash oE mlliion jsws;s she bold outline forms Of Rrandnre and strength, clothed in glittering delicate suon IS no buman hand has svsr wrou {ht, the stopaDdou5 dome e .hs mount ains c5ove born Dpon tboee noble and hseutisul pillars and all fresh fro [ -the had of the Su- prems Gfs 1o Architecs Of the UGiverse, filed ons sgita tbs og=r 2 n eln ming emo 5ions Of surprise, Of de!Qhs, Of ador Btion
 The cav. whicb is probsbly 15O by 250 feet in d msDs'ons end SD extreme 1sighsn of about 100 fact from tbe low