El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-13
Over the Prospect Of Be-
ing Enabled To
Erect
A TEMPLE IN 81 PASO
With the Forty Thousand DOL
lars To Be Loaned BY a
Northern Insurance
Company.

William S. McCutcheon has received
a telegram from the State Life Insur-
ance company, of Indianapolis, offer.
ing to loan $40, 900 at per cent to the
Masonic lodge of Ell Paso for the pur-
pose of erecting Masonic temple in
this city. This practically assures the
erection of the building which the local
Masons have been contemplating for
the past four years.
The offer will be considered at the
meeting of the lodge on next Wednes-
day night aud will doubtless be &C.
cepted. The terms of the loan are
reasonable. The company will take as
security the site now owned by the
lodge and the new building. The
above mentioned rate of interest is as
low as could be expected.
The Masonic lodge owns, free and
unencumbered, site on the north side
OF San Antonio street, between Mesa
avenue and Stanton street, fronting 12O
feet on San Antonio street, 80 feet deep
on the west side and 12O feet on the
east eide, the present value of which is
between s65, 900 and $40. 900.
The new building will be erected on
this site, covering the entire plot. The
present Masonic building, on the east
ern portion OF this site, was com pleted
in 1893 at cost of $1,000. The west
ern portion of the plot is at present
occupied by aone-story. adobe building.
All of the buildings on the site, ex-
cept the two-story brick now known as
the Masonic temple, will be torn down.
A three-story brick block will be erect
ed In their ste ad. A third story will
be added to the present building, maxi
ing solid three-story block covering
the entire site.
2 The plans for the new building con-
template the expenditure of the entire
$4,000. AS the first estimate on all
buildings Invariably runs short of the
final cost, the building completed will
probably cost considerably more than
$4,000.
) The block isintended to be handsome
and substantial business block. The
first floor will be occupied as store
rooms, the second will be used for Of
fees and the third for lodge purposes.
Though it Is not go stated in the tele-
gram, 1t Is presumed that the State
Lille Insurance company is ready to
make the loan at once and the new
building will in ell probability be be-
gun before summer.
The local Masons are highly elated
over the offer of the loan. For the
past two years they have been negotiat-
ing with parties in all parts of the
country with a view to obtaining such
loan. Several times they have been
on the verge of success. but each time
something has intervened to prevent
the consummstion of their plans.
Mr.. McCutcheon has been negotiating
quietly with the State Life Insurance
company for some time past with the
above stated result. This is the life
Insurance company that has recently
been bitterly attacked In the a1vertis-
Ing columns of an evening newspaper
here by the represe entatives of another
APGshy' NAt. MCSubCu0On S8IQ tQlS
that this will be the first loan
Of life insurance company in Ell Psso.
The loan not only means much to local
business interests on that score, but it
will also open the way for eastern cap-
tal to find Investment in this city.
The local Masonic lodge was or
yanized in 1854, with mem bership of
about thirty. The lodge maintained
about the same strength up to 1882,
when the membership leaped to 100.
The present membership is 100, of
which 100 are local and 80 non.
The present officers are J.
). Watson, worshipful master; G. W.
Newell, senior warden; F. W. Brown,
unior warden, ]. G. Lakeland,
reasurer; A. Kaplan, secretary; and
7. W. Dormer. tyler.
Metal Market.