The Blue Bell tunnel was the first tunnel in the district. Its adit was in granite at an elevation of 9335 ft. above sea level and about 15 ft. below the original water level of the region. The tunnel had a maximum flow of 200 gal. per min., and the flow continued for several years.

The Blue Bell tunnel, near Anaconda, was the first to encounter water. This, which enters the granite at 9,335 ft., or 15 ft. below the average water level, had a flow of 200 gal. per minute and the flow persisted for several years.

The first water of consequence encountered in mining operations was in the Blue Bell tunnel, a short distance below the town of Anaconda, in the year 1892, at an elevation of 9,340 ft. and considerably below all of the shafts which had then been sunk.
This tunnel was but a few hundred feet in length and was driven entirely for development purposes. It penetrated the granite rim to the contact and was driven northerly along the contact for a short distance.
I visited this tunnel shortly after the water was encountered and noticed it frequently thereafter, but never made any attempt to measure the flow. My opinion is that it never exceeded 300 gals, per min. and, perhaps, was not over 200 gals.
Water was so scarce in those days that it was something of a curiosity. Owing to this scarcity of water it was considered a valuable find, and probably determined the location of three large mills that were built in Squaw gulch immediately below it during the next 2 years.
The flow from this tunnel continued for about 4 years at a nearly uniform rate, but probably had little effect in lowering the general water level.
The flow ceased entirely shortly after the Moffat or Ophelia tunnel cut the contact a short distance to the north in 1896.

G. Kurt is working a lease on the Blue Bell claim on Squaw Gulch. He has recovered the vein carrying lead, silver, and gold. In a winze sunk 40 ft. below the adit a streak 14 in. wide has been found assaying 50 to 64 oz. silver, $8 to $10 in gold per ton, and as much as 25% lead.

Blue Bell Mining, Milling and Power Company—At the deferred annual meeting in Cheyenne, Wyo., the following directors were elected:
Charles Walden
Duncan Chisholm
H. C. Shimp
John McConaghy
C. F. Rickey.
Mr. Rickey was afterward elect­ed president, Mr. Walden vice-president, Mr. Shimp secretary and Mr. Chisholm treasurer.

THE BLUE BELL.
The Soper Concentrating company, that has a lease on the Hartsell mill, a plant that is less than 100 feet away from the mouth of the Blue Bell tunnel, now has all the ore it can possible handle, and if it will pay there is enough in sight to run the stamps day and night for an indefinite length of time.

In the Blue Bell there is a strong vein that carries ore of a low grade. Almost if not quite six years ago there was a pocket of high grade mineral in this same vein, but it was quickly taken out and up to the present time water has prevented sinking upon it.

People who saw the Blue Bell when it was in pay are still staunch friends of that property, and in and out of season predict great things for it.
If the low grade ore that is now being broken on its ground carries sufficient values to pay under the stamps, it is more than likely that development will open up an ore chute on the vein.

The Ptarmigan company's bond and lease on the Blue Bell calls for the payment of $75,000 and the lease has eighteen months to run. The property is being actively developed.

PTARMIGAN'S PURCHASE
The Blue Bell Bought by the Ptarmigan People

The Ptarmigan Gold Mining company, one of the recent incorporations, has secured two valuable claims in Cripple Creek and is in a position to make things hum, which they are rapidly preparing to do. The company has purchased the Nora H., close to the Elkton on Raven hill, and the Blue Bell on Gold Hill, near Anaconda.
The latter was purchased from the Blue Bell company for $7,500, one third of which was paid in cash and the balance is to be paid in eighteen months. The Nora H. was purchased from Henry and others for $10,000.
The Blue Bell has been developed by a 600 feet tunnel and several shafts. About half way in the tunnel there is a vein of ore that runs two ounces gold, seventy ounces silver and twenty-three per cent lead; in the breast there are twenty-one feet of ore that will run from $20 to $30 gold.
The Nora H. is also making an encouraging showing and is being prepared for a patent.

The company has ordered a plant of machinery and will sink{?] on the Blue Bell to the tunnel, at the same time the work of taking out ore from the tunnel will continue. It is proposed to ship the first 1,000 tons to the cyanide mill at Florence, and arrangements looking to a contract with the Florence people are now pending.
The company capitalized for 1,000,000 shares, par value $1 each, has 200,000 shares treasury stock and $30,000 in the treasure with no debts.
W. H. Jacobs, who has mined successfully in Boulder, La Plata and Clear Creek counties, is president.
A. A. McDonald, the owner of the Belden mine at Red Cliff, is vice-president.
G. E. Hannan, one of Denver's most popular business men, is secretary.
Ed. Dickson, one of the leading attorneys of Denver, is a member of the board of directors.
H. J. Sisty, a mining man of wide experience, is manager and also one of the directory.

The Denver News recently published an account of a rich strike at Cripple Creek in which ore taken from the Blue Bell was especially rich and strikingly peculiar, in that is assayed 156 ounces silver, thirteen ounces of gold and 40 per cent lead, the vein being twenty-two inches wide.
The Cripple Creek Miner, in commenting upon the item says: "All of Cripple Creek has heard about this very rich twenty-two inch vein of silver ore in the Blue Bell.
It does not exist in reality, and everyone who gives the subject any attention will not be duped into paying a big price for a mining stock on the strength of an assay which showed 156 ounces of silver, 40 per cent lead and $260 in gold - on paper."

The main vein of the Blue Bell at Cripple Creek, has been uncovered for a distance of a thousand feet, the tunnel is now in 450 feet and the shaft has reached a depth of 160 feet. It is intended to connect the shaft and the tunnel as development proceeds.
The present development consists of upraising and driving forward in the breast of the tunnel. The vein is six feet wide, in a granite and porphyry formation.
There are many hundreds of tons of ore on the dump and in the ore house waiting the completion of the new mill which is to be erected just below, near the mouth of the tunnel.

A dispatch from Cripple Creek says an experiment just made in the Blue Bell is causing a considerable sensation in the camp. A couple of amalgam plates were laid in the stream which escapes from the mine at the foot of the hill with very considerable force and collected in twenty-four hours a button of twenty grains of gold, thus proving the presence of gold held in solution in the water.
Experiment is to be repeated with more plates of large dimensions.

The Blue Bell have made shipments or can with absolute safety be relied upon as a shipping mine in the immediate future.

The Blue Bell is running five shifts, three in the mine and two in the shaft. A large quantity of ore is awaiting shipment.
The tunnel is 200 feet down.

A two days' jaunt on horseback took me from Rhyolite hill, on the north, to Grouse mountain, on the south, and from Pisgah, on the west, to Wilson creek, on the east, within which boundaries some four thousand claims have been located.
The greater part of those have nothing more than the assessment work done upon them, and in many instances, this has been so indifferently done, and with such an utter abandon and disregard of the statues, that they cannot be held for a moment to comply with the legal requirements.
But, in traversing Ennis, Globe, Gold, Bull, Tenderfoot, Womack, Mineral and a score or more of hills in the district, sources of Cripple, Wilson, Requa, Squaw and other water courses, I came upon scores of properties that were being developed with more or less vigor and intelligence, some with tunnels or inclines, others with shafts or open cuts, and the owners of each full of hope and expectations.
Blue Bell in Squaw gulch is one of those with good indications of mineral, and from statements made to me by different parties I have that the Blue Bell had $30 to $40 In Superficial Workings; with $60 in Average Assays; whereas Picked Specimens gave $250, in addition to 180 ounces silver.

Col. Ed F. Browne, of Aspen said that "contrary to the general opinion, I do not find that the porphyry is generally mineralized, or that there is a second deposition of porphyry in fissures; but the fact is, there are well defined leads of quarts that pass through this massive porphyry, and it is the gangue of the veins.
While there are parts of the porphyry rock that is mineralized, those parts that are rich at all are lying between stringers of the quarts, and it is easily seen how it should be mineralized, lying in such a position.

"The Blue Bell is on another well defined contact fissure, between granite and porphyry, and is the only vein that gives indications of silver, lead or zinc in the camp. Its direction points west of north about ten degrees, and undoubtedly extends through to Lawrence, a camp on the south end of the district.

"It can hardly be supposed that all the leads and fissures through which this mineralized quartz is found will ever be great mines; but it is an indication that shows great strength and permanency to the large veins that are discovered, and possibly many of these smaller stringers of quartz may lead to mines of values.

"I am thoroughly of the opinion that there could possibly be some great mines on the Blue Bell vein. I am also of the opinion that the greatest mine of this camp will be found in a locality not yet developed.

According to Col. H. W. Comstock, there is no free milling ore, strictly speaking, in the district; but there is a vast tonnage, already uncovered and tested, that can be treated in the ordinary gold mills with little if any preliminary treatment. This is, of course, surface ore, and as we approach water level we may, and shall, undoubtedly, find it necessary to roast most of the product in order to save a reasonable percentage of its value, as much of it is exceedingly complex in character.
While there been said that the dominating metal in the Blue Bell ore is silver, Col. Comstock said; "In the Blue Bell a thin band of galena, with which is combined some bismuth, carries more silver than gold; but an average of the entire vein matter between the granite and porphyry walls shows that gold is the dominating metal."

Another Big Strike.
Another big strike has been made in the Blue Bell mine in Squaw gulch, which shows this property to be apparently a world beater, says a telegram from Cripple Creek to the Denver News.
In the tunnel which is being run in to cut the main ore body at a distance of sixty feet under cover, a vein of ore two feet in thickness and carrying galena, grey copper, tellurium and a small amount of free gold was encountered, and the owners of this property are highly elated over the strike.
A large force of men are working on the property and the ore is being sacked for shipment as soon as the roads are put in a passable condition.