SISTERSVILLE, W.Va. — The famous Ohio River ferry at Sistersville will be out of commission for a while. Mayor Bill Rice said when they put the vessel in the water it partially sank.
“We knew there was a leak, but we couldn’t tell where it was when it was sitting up high. We thought if we put it in there we’d be able to pump it out. I don’t know if the Impaler gasket or what has happened to it, but when we put it into the water, it sunk,” he explained.
The ferry is kept on the bank of the river during the winter months. Rice believed during one of the high water events the boat shifted and a hole may have been gouged in the hull on some rocks. Typically a boat captain would be able to maneuver the vessel to make sure such damage didn’t occur, but last year’s Captain quit the job and hadn’t told anyone he wasn’t coming back.
Rice said they noticed the ferry taking on water and pumped some of it out of the barge. But, they couldn’t find the leak. The idea was they would be able to pump it out when they got it into the river and could more easily spot the leak to make a repair. Turned out the apron of the landing on the West Virginia side of the river was too high to get a pumping truck in position to pump the water out.
A river boat repair company plans to come get the ferry next week.
“They’re going to go in there and pick it up and set it on a barge. Then they’ll transport it to Bellaire Harbor and dry dock it to see what the issue is,” the Mayor said.
The mishap meant the ferry will be out of operation for an undetermined period of time. The ferry is one of the last remaining ferries on the Ohio River and it an historical attraction. It is operated maintained by the city of Sistersville and a Ferry Board.
Rice said the DEP inspected the site and there was no signs of any fuel leaking, but they are monitoring the situation to make sure it doesn’t happen.