THE MINERAL SPRING ON THE FARM RIETFONTEIN, 

 DISTRICT BRANDFORT, O.F.S. 



By Prof. Max Mokkis Rindl, Ing.D. 



(Abstract.) 



This saline spring- is situated about two miles from the 

 Haagenstad Salt-pan. and about 30 miles north-west by north 

 of Bloemfontein. Extraordinary therajjeutic ])roperties are 

 attributed to the water, and interesting fossils ( some described 

 by Dr. Broom in " Annals of the South African Musetmi," 12) 

 have been discovered in the spring. The spring issues from a 

 sand-hill cajiped by a layer of peat, formed from roots of trees, 

 overlying a bed of bones and fossil remains. In order to ofTer 

 better bathing facilities, the owner has had part of the peat 

 removed, and has erected a primitive bath-house. Through the 

 sand floor of the bath streams of inflammable gas force their wav 

 in hundreds of places. This gas consists mainl}- of a mixttu'e of 

 marsh gas and h\drogen, and can only be a decomposition 

 ])roduct of the peat. The mouth of the spring is approximately six 

 inches in diameter, and tlie daily yield is said to be 600.000 

 gallons, but this figure is obviotisly considerably exaggerated. 

 The bath is frequented by hundreds of patients every year, and 

 many wonderful cures are reported. The water is reputed to 

 l)e ])articularly efficacious in cases of sciatica and rheumatic com- 

 ])laints. No analysis of the water has. to my ! nowledge. been 

 l)ublished hitherto. 



The results of water analyses are usually expressed, more 

 or less arbitrarily, in terms of qtiantities of different salts ])er 

 gallon or litre. I have expressed my results in terms of ions, in 

 accordance with the suggestions put f orw^ard by von Than and W. 

 Fresenius. 



In most cases the valties are worked out for water of 4° C. 

 The differences between the values at atmospheric temperature 

 and 4° are as a rule negligible, except in the case of constituents 

 present in tolerably large qtiantities. 



TcMipcrature. — Unfortunately, it w^as impossible to obtain 

 a sufficient number of observations to establish seasonal varia- 

 tions. The following readings were taken : — 



Temp. Temp. 



Date. of w. Date. of w. 



° C. ° C. 



2Qth March, to a.m 28 4th October, 10 a.m 28.2 



29th March, afternoon 29 2nd December, midday 30 



30th ]\Jarcli, ] t a.m 29 4th December, early morning 29.5 



3rd October, 5 p.m 29.2 14th December, early morning 29.5 



Density. — The density of the spring water at 25° (distilled 

 welter 2S° = i) was found to be i.oom. 



