Dukes Ferry

In the absence of a bridge, Dukes Ferry is the route by which all traffic from the south enters Morton. The ferry consists of several broad, flat bottomed barges attached to a loop of chain which is used to pull them across the river. Each barge can be disconnected from the chain so that it can operate a single or multiple barges, potentially in both directions. Power is from a pair of capstans, one at each end of the ferry that are powered by oxen. The river is around 40 strides wide at this point and the crossing is usually quick, costing 2 dukes for a pedestrian, 10 for a horse and wagons by negotiation depending on size and loading.
When herds of livestock are being moved across the river - to the Stockyard for example, they are normally swum across with the drover guiding the lead animal from the barge. Normally this will be by means of a rope long enough to span the river so that the ferry is not slowed by any hesitancy on the animals' part.
The ferry is owned an operated by the Ferry Inn and normally operates in daylight hours - it sometimes operates at night but only where a specific need is known to exist - otherwise the Inn will be happy to oblige with accommodation or, if the urgency justifies the cost a one off crossing can be made (depending on the time and weather this will cost upwards of 200 Dukes.

Purpose / Function

To carry goods and people across the river. A bridge over the Durran has not been built because of the impact this would have on the river traffic - whilst a bridge could easily be build to allow a barge through masted vessels would be a bigger problem and even barges would have difficulty with their tow lines. Add to this the increased speed of the flow caused by the piers for the bridge blocking part of the channel and navigation past a bridge would be unreasonable for the boats that use Morton. The Ferry on the other hand creates none of these problems, though it is necessary to release tension from the chains so that they do not create a hazard to any passing boats. This results in a secondary purpose for the ferry - as a boom or barrage across the river. Whilst its position near the centre of town makes this less useful than might otherwise be the case it is the easiest way to block the passage of vessels of all sizes for, unlike the booms at the ends of the town walls the ferry manned and operational for most of the day.

History

The ferry has been in existence for almost as long as Morton. Over the years the details have varied and in the earliest days it is said to have been punted across. The current arrangement of chains has been in use for several centuries and seems to work adequately. The Inn grew up rapidly after the ferry came into operation and has grown steadily over the years but remains an isolated establishment owing the the reluctance of people to settle on the ground formerly used for burials - the inn predates most of those and therefore avoids the taboo of building on a burial.

Classification

Ferry

Date

In use since the foundation of Morton

Status

Operational

Aye, the ferry ain't bad but a bridge would be better if it weren't for they blasted boaties.

Could a Bridge Work?

One of the common pass times of artificers in Morton is attempting to design, or promote designs of bridge that could replace the ferry. The technical difficulties however are great owing to the height it would need. Still, one day someone may succeed not just in designing a bridge that will be acceptable - but actually persuading the town to build it.