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.

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.

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.

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

Free Coinage.—Lessees on the Bison claim of this group have sunk a shaft 250 feet deep and are now doing lateral work. Another 250 feet will be sunk under the terms of the contract.

Cripple Creek.—Lessee J. O. Carper on the Pinto-Bison property on Bull hill is installing a new 50-ft. smoke stack with an 80-h.p. boiler. Several other improvements are being made to the machinery plant.

Cripple Creek.—The work of installing an 80-h.p. boiler and erecting a new 60-ft. smokestack on the Pinto-Bison has been completed. The property is under lease to J. O. A. Carper, who is making other improvements to the machinery plant.

Cripple Creek—Carper & Co., leasing on the Pinto-Bison of the Free Coinage group on Bull hill, are developing a 3-ft. vein, the ore from which has shown a slight increase in value within the last few days.
This vein, at a depth of 200 ft, carries mineral of grades ranging from $18 to $34 in gold to the ton. The ore body shows a knife-blade seam of very rich stuff, but no sorting will be done other than separating coarse rock from screenings unless the high grade streak widens out.
Shipments are regular from the property.

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 to two sets of lessees, J. O. A. Carper and D. N. Mercer and associates, who will operate different blocks on the Bison, and the Pueblo mine on Bull Cliffs.
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.

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

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—At the 250-ft. level of the Carper shaft, at the intersection of the Pinto and Bison claims, a rich strike has been made by Jesse Adams, lessee.
The streak is about 8 in. wide, and carries coarse free gold.

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

M. B. Rapp has taken a lease on the Bison shaft, Bull hill, a part of the Free Coinage estate.

Lease operators have opened up at the 400-ft. level of the Bison shaft, Free Coinage estate, at the junction of the black dyke with a cross-vein, an ore body 18½ ft. wide, and the ore will ship at $20 to the ton without sorting, with screenings carrying double this value.

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.