Quite a little stir has been created about the camp by the news of a good strike in the Free Coinage properties on Bull hill at Cripple Creek this week.
The strike was made at a depth of 28 feet, and the ore is quite similar to that in the Pharmacist mine, near by. Three assays made of the ore each gave returns of about 21 ounces to the ton.
The owners of the property have ordered hoisting machinery, etc., and will soon have the property in shape for shipping ore.
While this is a stock company it is one of the few companies that were formed for mining and not for stock speculation, and not a share of the stock is offered for sale, the men who are connected with it being satisfied to make their money from the proceeds of the mines.

The Free Coinage gold quartz valued at $700 per ton, is part of the Cripple Creek District representations of the Colorado State Exhibit displays at the Colombia Exposition.

Principal Producing Cripple Creek Mines - 1898:

Name: Wilson Mine (Bull Hill)
Owner: Free Coinage Gold Mining Co.
Capital:
President:
Vice-President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Superintendent:
Manager:
Lessees: Ford et al., Victor
Description: 160-foot shaft; 15-horse power boiler; 6x8 double friction Colorado Iron Works Co. hoist.
Employes:
Contact:
Notes:

Victor Record writes; Free Coinage—The Free Coinage group of properties, on Bull hill, is producing a greater tonnage of all grades at present than ever before, with the indication that the output will show an increase the remaining months of the year. The entire ground is worked by lessees, and mineral is being shipped from four different shafts, and half a dozen others, in all probability, will be in the list of shippers within the next sixty days.

MERCER LEASE.
The Mercer lease on the Wilson, of the Free Coinage company, is in fine ore. The screenings show a value of 15 ounces to the ton, and the course rock three ounces.

Free Coinage Gold Mining Company.—A number of leases have been granted. The property is situated at Altman, on Bull Hill, and was originally controlled by the late Sam Strong. J. B. Neville is at present general manager.

The properties of this company are worked under lease, the main workings being operated by Harry Shell and associates, who have a small force at work.
The property belongs chiefly to the estate of the late Sam Strong.

The Free Coinage ground on Bull hill is again shipping heavily. Nearly every piece of rock taken out shows either rusty gold, or sylvanite, and according to assays, the ore should run better than $200 a ton.
The ore body carrying this ore is about two feet in width.

The lessee operating on the Wilson claim of the Free Coinage company this week marketed ten tons of rock which netted him $1,800 in cash.
The lower grade of ore shipped from this property is running considerably above pay, and the lessee will undoubtedly make himself wealthy during the life of his lease.

There are at present several sets of lessees on the Free Coinage properties, and all are in good ore.

Free Coinage.—Lessee Mercer, operating under sub-lease a block of the Wilson claim of this company on Bull Hill, is shipping about two carloads of ore weekly, which it is said will average three ounces to the ton. The ore is being extracted from a two-foot vein at a point 200 feet north of the shaft in the 250-foot level.
J. O. A. Carper of Denver, who holds a lease on the entire property, will commence sinking the new three-compartment shaft to a depth of 1,200 feet about the first of August. At present Mr. Carper and associates are taking out ore on the third level of the Wilson claim and on the fifth level of the Pinto, where several machine drills are being worked.

Another strike was made by Lessees Reed, Young and associates on the Wilson claim of the Free Coinage Company in the town of Altman, on the summit of Bull Hill, north of the shaft in the 300-foot level; they followed a two and one-half foot vein and encountered a six-inch seam of high grade mineral, assaying 60 ounce gold, or $1,200 a ton.
The screenings from the entire width of the vein will ship at more than $350 a ton. The Wilson claim adjoins the Cheyenne claim of the Isabella Mines Company. In this, December, 1899, 27.5 tons of ore from this mine netted the Isabella Company $29,090.92.

Cripple Creek—A big strike were made the past week on the Wilson claim, where ore worth several hundred dollars per ton was exposed.
The general mass is valued at $200 per ton. This is one of the most important strikes made in the district in recent times. The Wilson claim is owned by the Free Coinage Co. and is located on Bull hill.
When the vein was first opened it measured 2 ft. between walls and gave returns of 2 to 3 ounces. It has now widened about 6 ins. and carries values from 7 to 19 ozs. gold on each side of a rich seam.

Cripple Creek.—The strike made by Young and associates, working the 30 level of the Wilson shaft of the Free Coinage at Altman, is holding out well, some of the ore giving returns as high as $1,200 per ton.

Cripple Creek.—Young & Reed, operating the Wilson claim of the Free Coinage at Altman, have made an important strike. The first shipment of smelter grade was estimated to run over $30 a ton.

Cripple Creek—Clark and associates, leasing on the north end of the Wilson claim of the Free Coinage Co. on Bull hill, have opened a fair sized vein which carries 1 to 2½ ozs. gold.
This ore body was encountered at a depth of 200 ft. and shipments will be begun at once. A new hoist has just been installed.
In the second level the lessees are following a small shoot which has the appearance of developing into a strong ore body.

The Free Coinage Gold Mining Co. continues for the present year the same leasing policy adopted for several years past, and the lease, expired by limitation on December 31, is renewed for 12 months on the Wilson to R. A. Young, T. L. Reid, L. A. Van Tilborg, last year's lessees.
The royalties to be paid to the leasing company will be graded, ranging from 10%, on low-grade milling ore to 35% on high-grade smelting ore.

DENVER, COLORADO—A syndicate of Boston capitalists has taken a five-year lease on the property of the Free Coinage Co., of Cripple Creek, to operate that property below the 550-ft. level. The property consists of the Pinto, Rising Sun, Wilson, Bison No. 2, and Pueblo claims, forming a compact group on Bull Hill.
These have been recently examined by Forbes Rickard, of Denver, who will act as the consulting engineer for the new company, called the Altman Leasing Co. Sixteen sets of lessees are now working on the mine above the 550-ft. level, and these operations will not interfere in any way with the operations of the new company on the lower levels.
Operations under control of the Altman L. Co. are to commence immediately on the Pinto claim, and the shaft, which is now 575 ft. deep, is to be sunk to 1000 ft. No lateral work will be done until a depth of 800 ft. is reached. A new hoisting plant will be erected in place of the old equipment now on the property.
The production of the Free Coinage to date is over $2,000,000 from above the 550-ft. level, and a heavy production is expected from the lower workings.

DENVER, COLORADO—Leases in general admit of much variety in point of terms and conditions specified, but it is uncommon to find one which reserves the upper part of an extensive claim-group and gives to lessees the right to mine below their lowest level.
Such an undertaking has been made the basis of a five-year lease recently given to the Altman Leasing Co. by the Free Coinage Gold Mining Co. on their 30-acre tract, beginning from the horizon of the 550-ft. level of the Pinto shaft, downward to any depth to which the lessees can carry operations within the time-limit.
This is conditioned upon sinking the main shaft several hundred feet deeper. It is a good example and a practical expression of confidence in development of ground that is central to some of the richest parts of the Cripple Creek district, lying, as it does, between the Isabella mine and Vindicator groups on Bull Hill, about the town of Altman.
The Free Coinage Gold Mining Co.'s property includes the vein-systems of the Pinto-Pharmacist, Wilson, Pinto-Bison, and Pueblo mines, and is among the successful companies of the early days of Cripple Creek; it is now being actively worked at several levels, all under the leasing system.
Since 1894 this group has produced from 1¾ to 2 millions of dollars, from workings that are superficial as compared with those of its neighbors. Among the latter are the Isabella and Findley, which reach depths of 1100 and 1400 ft. below the collars of their respective shafts.
The Altman Leasing Co. is installing a powerful Vulcan geared hoist, of capacity to reach to a depth of 1500 ft., which will take the burden from the present equipment before it reaches its limit. Combining the features of large acreage with its location in the midst of the most productive mines of a rich section, there is probably not a similar mineral tract in the district that can be leased in a compact group.
In addition to the main 'deeps' lease, this leasing company has two blocks above the 550-ft. level, in one of which high-grade ore has been discovered through prospecting upon the Black dike of the Bison claim, which corresponds with the Isabella dike of the Government report upon the mines of this portion of Bull Hill.
Air for machine-drills is taken from the Union Leasing Co. from the plant at Deadwood. At first a small force is being employed in shaft-sinking and in prospecting. Extensive drifts and cross-cuts make available to stoping much promising ground, without costly outlay in dead-work. The management is enthusiastic over the prospect of early shipments.
The new company is organized under the laws of Colorado, with a capital stock of $100,000. The principal office will be maintained in Cripple Creek. Geo. R. Woodin, of Boston, is the moving spirit of the enterprise.

On the Wilson mine, in South Altman, active operations are being carried on by lessees, the work consisting in crosscutting and drifting with some good grade ore being mined.

All of the properties of the Free Coinage company are leased above the 550-foot level and are producing a good grade of ore.

Van Tilborg, Young & Reid are to resume shipping from their lease in the Wilson mine. The cross-cut from the 300-ft. opened 2 ft. of milling ore.

The Free Coinage Gold Mining Co. has leased the Wilson dump to A. Bergenstressor.

Gold ore, pronounced by Mayor Van Tilborg, assayer, to be 0.900 fine, has been opened on the Wilson claim on Bull hill, owned by the Free Coinage Co., a close corporation, whose stock is not listed on exchanges.
The rich streak of metallic gold, five-eighths of an inch wide, has been encountered by Lester W. Reid and L. A. Van Tilborg, lessees, at the 250-ft. level of the Grace shaft on the Wilson, northeast from the shaft, in hitherto undeveloped territory, and at a point 350 ft. south of the dividing line between the Wilson and the Buena Vista claim of the Isabella Co.
The shoot has now been opened for 12 to 15 ft., the seam of gold is at its strongest, and the values obtaining in the heading have shown no deterioration.
A grab sample taken back of the machine drill, from the muck pile, gave 11 ozs. gold, or $220 per ton, and the miners were instructed to leave the richer strike untouched.
The rich ore broken is carefully sorted out, sacked and brought out by Lessee Reid, to be stored until a shipment has accumulated.
Necessarily the strike has caused a sensation in mining circles and watchmen guard the mine workings at night.

The Altman Leasing Co., operating the properties of the Free Coinage Gold M. Co. under lease, from a depth below the 500 station of the Pinto shaft has taken over a 100-ft. lift above this level - the fourth level of the shaft - and has made a strike of importance on the Pinto basalt dike.
The dike is about 80 ft. north of the Black dike, for which a crosscut was being carried, and the strike was unexpected.
The ore body exposed is all of 4 ft. wide and Superintendent Cooper reports the ore running from $22.40 to $48 to the ton.

Free Coinage—The August production of the Bull Hill properties of this estate was 900 tons of 1-oz. gold ore.

The Grace shaft on the Wilson claim of the Free Coinage estate, on Bull hill, has been started up by E. Weber.

Frank George and company of Victor have taken a lease on the two Wilson shafts of the Free Coinage on Bull hill and work has just been started.

There are several leases at present getting out a good grade of ore from the Free Coinage. Of the four or five claims owned by the company, all are leased and most of the leasers are shipping.

At the annual meeting of the Free Coinage company, held this week, J. B. Neville was elected president and treasurer: A. L. Neville, vice-president and secretary; and A. V. Hunter, director.
The company's estate adjoins the Isabella group on Bull hill and is being operated under lease. Production from the Free Coinage group, mined above the 750-ft. level, has been in excess of $2,000,000.