Art. XVI. — TJie Aariferous Sandstones of Chiltern. 

 By E. J. Dunn, F.G.S. 



[Eead 12tli November, 1903]. 



In 1858 Conness and party discovered the goldfield that 

 surrounds the present town of Chiltex'n. Their shaft was sunk 

 near the N.W. corner of the block of land n)arked Bigbey 

 (Allotment G, Sec. A, Parish of Chiltern), and the sample of gold 

 obtained from the bottom was seen by the writer on its way to 

 Beechworth, where the reward was claimed. Within a few 

 weeks there were about 25,000 people at the Indigo Rush, and 

 a township extended for four- miles along the course of Indigo 

 Lead. 



Chiltern is 168^ miles from Melbourne, on the North-Eastern 

 railway, and the position of the Caledonian Lead — a branch of 

 the Indigo Lead, where auriferous sandstone occurs — is 3 miles 

 N.W. in a straight line from Chiltern and about 2 miles due S. 

 from Mount Plea.sant. 



Portion of the Caledonian Lead was worked by Mr. Barrass, 

 Senr., and party, and more than twenty years ago Mr. Barrass 

 discovered that some of the sandstone pebbles and boulders in 

 the wash-dirt were auriferous. Forty or fifty loads were gathered 

 up and crushed at an ordinary battery for a I'eturn of \o to 20 

 dwt. of gold jDer load ; tliis was only a fraction of the gold 

 contained in the pebbles, as the gold is too tine for treatment in 

 the ordinary stamp battery. Twelve loads more were obtained by 

 this party on the surface at the Devonshire Lead, but whether 

 they were obtained from that lead or had been cai'ted over from 

 the Caledonian Lead is uncertain. Altogether, probably, from 90 

 to 100 loads of the.se pebbles have been gathered up and treated 

 for gold. 



Auriferous pebbles were met with in the gravel of the lead 

 from where the Caledonian Lead crossed the Devonshii'e Reef, 

 and for about 400 feet down the course of the lead below the 

 intersection. No auriferous sandstone pebbles were found in the 



