Q. What was their composition? A. Molten, or cast brass.
Q. Who cast them? A. Our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff.
Q. Where were they cast? A. On the banks of the river Jordan, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zaradatha, where King Solomon ordered these and all other holy vessels to be cast.
Q. Were they cast solid or hollow? A. Hollow.
Q. What was their thickness? A. Four inches, or a hand's breadth.
Q. Why were they cast hollow? A. The better to withstand inundations or conflagrations; were the archives of Masonry, and contained the constitution, rolls, and records.
Q. What did you next come to? A. A long, winding staircase, with three, five, seven steps, or more.
Q. What does the three steps allude to? A. The three principal supports in Masonry, viz., Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty.
Q. What does the five steps allude to? A. The five orders in architecture, and the five human senses.
Q. What are the five orders in architecture? A. The Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite.