The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-10-24
k,Ne sol ONIONS ouARRlEs.

KING soLoMoN's ouARRIEs.
Freemasonry teaches that it had its
origin at the time of the building OF
King Solomons temple at Jerusalem,
and this claim has just been sub
stantiated by discoveries made |
through recent excavations in the sub /
terranean quarries there. These dis
coyeries show that at so early time I
as the reign of King Solomon Free /
Masonry was fourishing institution
in substantially the same form as 1t |
exists today. Deep down in the eartn, |
hidden under masses of sand-covered !
ruins, there have been unearthed an
cient lodge rooms, the walls OF which
bore the mystic symbols of the Ma
sonic order and other signs to indicate
in what manner they had been used.
The discoveries show that TINS
was the headquarters of the order at
i that time, and so far as known, in the
| ancient auarries beneath Jerusalem
was where Free Masonry had its birth.
/ The important information here
] chronicled was furnished in report
4 to the government by Thomas r. Wal
lace United States consul at Jerusa-
lem. and is therefore official and en-
/ tirely trustworthy. A synopsis of his
/ report appeared in last Sundays Chi
/ cage Tribune, from which it appears
! further that to an American, like
wise belongs the credit for discover
ing the quarries, though the discov-
cry came as an accident. DR.. Bar.
clay, an American physician spending
some months in Jerusalem, while
hunting in the unsettled northern
portions of the Holy City, saw his dog
suddenly disappear beneath the city
wall Following him, DR.. Barclay dis
covered hole. which proved to be
] an entrance to a subterranean cavern.
Excavations disclosed that the
cavern was nothing more nor less
than grotto-like entrance to what
: appeared to be string of under
) ground rooms and crypts. AS the
/ work went on it was found that the
2 place was the site of immense sub
7 terranean stone quarries OF ancient
DAYS, so extensive that the stone
which had been mined from it would
be sufficient for building the city two
1 or three times over. In the further
6 most room 1000 feet under ground
@ from the entrance, were found huge
9 blocks of quarried stone, left where
!. they had been cut from the solid rock
. and from these sources the history o.
the auarries was traced back to the
building of King Solomons temple
The stone was pure white in color, o
wonderful beauty, and, though sof
, enough to be easily quarried, upon ex
!, posure to the open air became hard
ened, a popularity which the histor
= ian Josephus mentions in connection
u with the stone from which the tempt
was built. and there were plenty Q
~ the specimens of the stone carvini
q peculiar to King Solomon's era. Their
u were numerous evidences that tn
y rooms had been meeting places TO
large numbers of people, and furthe
discoveries made it apparent tina
is there had been held in them the Sc!
at sions of some secret or religious O
1t der. At last, under stone which &c
&c centuries had lain buried beneath tn
ne shifting sands was found carved tn
Id square and compass of the Masoni
e. order. on scraping the walls the e
n. plorers found carved in the stone
It. the various signs and symbols OF
Mt lodge room. Nothing essential to tt
he paraphernalia of modern lodge roo
was missing.
1t is a matter of local interest ar
ce pride that Keokuk can furnish test
he mony in corroboration of the foreg
ed ing. At the regular meeting of Gag
ed lodge, No. r. A. F. & A. NJ, in tn
I'D city last Tuesday evening the matt
re OF the discoveries at Jerusalem vi
ch brought UP after the work of t
Tvs lodge was concluded. Among tho
He present was Rev J. w. Potter, pc
-th tor of Trinity NJ. E. church. He hi
,ut not read the newspaper article
ell ferred to above, but on the occasi
,by of a recent visit to Jerusalem he n
rec visited the subterraneum quarri
are then just discovered and he confirm
red all that had been printed concerni
saw them. 1t also developed that he h
his brought home with MIN fragments
stone from the quarries, which he h
eds presented his home lodge at Bloc
EN- field, Iowa. Rev. Potter's talk
warmly praised by all who heard it
ing exceptionally interesting in subj'