KELLY, N.C. — Ever gotten a chance to ride on a cable ferry? If not, don’t feel bad because you’re not alone.
They’re a pretty rare mode of transportation here in the Tar Heel State. In Bladen County, the cable ferry has reopened and residents are ready for its return.
What You Need To Know
- The Elwell Cable Ferry is one of the last three cable ferries in the state
- The ferry is back up and running after three years of being out of commission
- It takes two minutes to cross the river and only two cars are allowed to ride at a time
Traveling by cable ferry may be rare, but the North Carolina Department of Transportation's district engineer for Bladen and Columbus counties, Ken Clark, says it used to be the norm.
“Back in the 1800s and 1900s, pretty much the way people got across rivers, large rivers, was to take cable ferries, cable guided ferries,” Clark said. “They were either guided by horse, or guided by hand. But the 1920s and 1930s, the department began putting trust bridges up all over the state, and as a result, much of these ferries went away. Today there’s only three left in the entire state.”
And although they’re rare, they’re still incredibly useful, especially the Elwell Cable Ferry in Kelly.
“The Kelly community on the Northside of the Cape Fear River, this is really their main way to get back and forth to their community,” Clark said. “Without the ferry, it’s a 23-mile detour to get from this side of the river to that side of the river, so it’s pretty important to them.”
Even if you don’t live in Kelly, it’s still a fascinating mode of transportation to see.
“The ferry is powered by a propeller mounted outboard right here. This diesel engine runs a hydraulic pump that powers both the hydraulic propeller as well as the ramps,” Clark said. "There’s no rudder on the boat, so all the guidance is by the cable on the opposite side of the boat.”
Clark said that the old technology has caused the ferry to become a bit of a tourist attraction.
“It is sort of a cult, icon attraction so-to-speak,” Clark said. “A lot of people drive out of their way just to ride this ferry because it’s been, it’s a rarity, it’s a rarity among today’s age.”
However, residents and tourists alike haven’t been able to hitch a ride for a few years now.
“Our operator who was doing our contract operation passed away so then we got into some contract issues, following that, DOT had some cash flow issues and we were not allowed to start any new contracts up. As a result, this ferry came out of the water about six months ago, a full out of body inspection, out of water inspection was done down in Wilmington, restoration work was done,” Clark said. “It finally came back into the river about a month ago, so all in all it’s been close to three years since the ferry’s operated.”
And now that it’s back, Clark knows that folks are excited for its return.
The Elwell Cable Ferry takes two minutes to get across the river. It’s free to ride and only two cars are allowed to ride at a time.