Elwell Ferry
Encyclopedia
Elwell Ferry is an inland cable ferry
which has operated since 1905 on Elwell Ferry Road between NC Highway 53 and NC Highway 87, crossing the Cape Fear River
and connecting the communities of Carvers Creek and Kelly
in Bladen County, North Carolina
.
Along with Parker's Ferry
and Sans Souci Ferry
, the Elwell Ferry is one of three remaining cable ferries operating in North Carolina
.
Initially constructed of wood, the 33-foot ferryboat was poled upstream and rowed back by hand and could carry a wagon and two mules. The county subsidized the ferry's operation for toll-free service six days a week, with a quarter on Sundays and a fifty cent toll for night crossings.
In the 1930s, the North Carolina Department of Transportation
incorporated its inland ferries into the state highway system, installing the first cable at Elwell and providing larger boats that could be guided with a pull stick. Walter Russ oversaw the modernization as well as the addition of a gasoline-powered engine on the boat in the late 1930s.
Until 1952, the Ferry was the only river crossing between Wilmington and Elizabethtown.
The inland cable ferries located in North Carolina are operated by regional DOT
divisional offices rather than the North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division, with the Elwell Ferry operated by private contract with DOT Division 6. There are no plans to replace the Elwell Ferry with a bridge, which would likely cost more than the service for the secondary road would justify.
and since 1967 constructed of steel, the barge
-like vessel features the controllman's room to one side, with the diesel engine
sitting aside the control room.
As a powered cable ferry
, the vessel is guided by a steel cable drawn across the river, secured on each shore by steel anchors. The cable is lowered into the river when the ferry is not operational and is stretched across the river during hours of operation. There is sufficient clearance for small boats to pass under the cable, but it is lowered when barges pass, though barge traffic on the Cape Fear river in this section ceased in the 1990's. The ferry is powered by a diesel engine and a propeller. Stopping is controlled by the operator's throttle. As the ferry cannot turn around, each end includes a ramp, and alignment of the ferry at each end is automatic.
. A year later the ferry had been rebuilt and resumed service with safety improvements. In 1967 two men committed suicide
by jumping off the ferry and in 1994 two men were killed trying to push an oversize vehicle onto the ferry. Prior to the use of wheel chocks, several vehicles had fallen overboard.
For two months in the summer of 2009, the ferry service remained closed, while pavement erosion from the Cape Fear River at the north and southern ferry landings was repaired. Service resumed in August, 2009.
Cable ferry
A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....
which has operated since 1905 on Elwell Ferry Road between NC Highway 53 and NC Highway 87, crossing the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
and connecting the communities of Carvers Creek and Kelly
Kelly, North Carolina
Kelly is a census-designated place in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 454 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kelly is located at ....
in Bladen County, North Carolina
Bladen County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 32,278 people, 12,897 households, and 8,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 15,316 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
.
Along with Parker's Ferry
Parker's Ferry
Parker's Ferry is a cable ferry located on the Meherrin River in Hertford County, North Carolina. The ferry is operated by a contractor for the North Carolina Department of Transportation....
and Sans Souci Ferry
Sans Souci Ferry
The Sans Souci Ferry is a cable ferry located on the Cashie River in Bertie County, North Carolina. The ferry is operated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation....
, the Elwell Ferry is one of three remaining cable ferries operating in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
History
In the absence of nearby river crossings, brothers Walter Hayes Russ and John Roland Russ approached Bladen County officials and were granted authority to operate a crossing ferry. Service began in 1905 with Walter Russ and later his son, Lee Roy Russ, operating the ferry. The service was named for a local family.Initially constructed of wood, the 33-foot ferryboat was poled upstream and rowed back by hand and could carry a wagon and two mules. The county subsidized the ferry's operation for toll-free service six days a week, with a quarter on Sundays and a fifty cent toll for night crossings.
In the 1930s, the North Carolina Department of Transportation
North Carolina Department of Transportation
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:...
incorporated its inland ferries into the state highway system, installing the first cable at Elwell and providing larger boats that could be guided with a pull stick. Walter Russ oversaw the modernization as well as the addition of a gasoline-powered engine on the boat in the late 1930s.
Until 1952, the Ferry was the only river crossing between Wilmington and Elizabethtown.
Operations
The ferry travels a distance of 110 yards, shore to shore, with a travel time of five minutes, has a maximum capacity of two cars or four tons by weight, operates without a toll, and operates daily, providing service from 6AM to 6PM, Spring and Summer, and from sunrise to sunset in the Winter and Fall. There is no ferry service on Christmas Day or on days of high water or storm conditions. Vehicles arriving on the opposite shore from the ferry, summon the ferry by blowing their horn. Ferry traffic averages 60 to 80 vehicles daily.The inland cable ferries located in North Carolina are operated by regional DOT
North Carolina Department of Transportation
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:...
divisional offices rather than the North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division, with the Elwell Ferry operated by private contract with DOT Division 6. There are no plans to replace the Elwell Ferry with a bridge, which would likely cost more than the service for the secondary road would justify.
Current design
Originally constructed of woodWood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
and since 1967 constructed of steel, the barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
-like vessel features the controllman's room to one side, with the diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
sitting aside the control room.
As a powered cable ferry
Cable ferry
A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....
, the vessel is guided by a steel cable drawn across the river, secured on each shore by steel anchors. The cable is lowered into the river when the ferry is not operational and is stretched across the river during hours of operation. There is sufficient clearance for small boats to pass under the cable, but it is lowered when barges pass, though barge traffic on the Cape Fear river in this section ceased in the 1990's. The ferry is powered by a diesel engine and a propeller. Stopping is controlled by the operator's throttle. As the ferry cannot turn around, each end includes a ramp, and alignment of the ferry at each end is automatic.
Fatalities, accidents and closings
Walter Russ, originator of the service, was the ferry’s first fatality, killed in a March 1942 explosion caused when poorly ventilated fumes ignited in the bilgeBilge
The bilge is the lowest compartment on a ship where the two sides meet at the keel. The word was coined in 1513.-Bilge water:The word is sometimes also used to describe the water that collects in this compartment. Water that does not drain off the side of the deck drains down through the ship into...
. A year later the ferry had been rebuilt and resumed service with safety improvements. In 1967 two men committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by jumping off the ferry and in 1994 two men were killed trying to push an oversize vehicle onto the ferry. Prior to the use of wheel chocks, several vehicles had fallen overboard.
For two months in the summer of 2009, the ferry service remained closed, while pavement erosion from the Cape Fear River at the north and southern ferry landings was repaired. Service resumed in August, 2009.