Reaction ferry
Encyclopedia
A reaction ferry is a 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....

 that uses the reaction
Reaction (physics)
The third of Newton's laws of motion of classical mechanics states that forces always occur in pairs. Every action is accompanied by a reaction of equal magnitude but opposite direction. This principle is commonly known in the Latin language as actio et reactio. The attribution of which of the two...

 of the current
Current (stream)
A current, in a river or stream, is the flow of water influenced by gravity as the water moves downhill to reduce its potential energy. The current varies spatially as well as temporally within the stream, dependent upon the flow volume of water, stream gradient, and channel geometrics...

 of a river against a fixed tether to propel the vessel across the river. Such ferries operate faster and more effectively in rivers with strong currents.

Some reaction ferries operate using an overhead cable
Wire rope
thumb|Steel wire rope Wire rope is a type of rope which consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes....

 suspended from towers anchored on either bank of the river, whilst others use a floating cable attached to a single anchorage that may be on one bank or mid-channel. Where an overhead cable is used a "traveller" is usually installed on the cable and the ferry is attached to the traveller by a bridle cable. To operate the ferry either the bridle cable is adjusted or a rudder is used, causing the ferry to be angled into the current, and the force of the current moves the ferry across the river.

The ferry may consist of a single hull, or two pontoons
Pontoon (boat)
A pontoon is a flotation device with buoyancy sufficient to float itself as well as a heavy load. A pontoon boat is a flattish boat that relies on pontoons to float. Pontoons may be used on boats, rafts, barges, docks, floatplanes or seaplanes. Pontoons may support a platform, creating a raft. A...

 with a deck bridging them. Some ferries carry only passengers, whilst others carry road vehicles, with some examples carrying up to 12 cars.

Canada

At one time over 30 reaction ferries crossed the rivers of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, primarily the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...

 and the Thompson River
Thompson River
The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches called the South Thompson and the North Thompson...

. Those still operating include:
  • Big Bar Ferry
    Big Bar Ferry
    Big Bar Ferry is a cable ferry across the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada. It is located about north of the town of Lillooet and west of Clinton...

    , across the Fraser River at Big Bar, British Columbia
  • Little Fort Ferry
    Little Fort Ferry
    The Little Fort Ferry is a cable ferry across the North Thompson River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated at Little Fort, about north of Kamloops....

    , across the Thompson River in British Columbia
  • Lytton Ferry
    Lytton Ferry
    The Lytton Ferry is a cable ferry across the Fraser River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated about north of Lytton.Technically, the ferry is a reaction ferry, which is propelled by the current of the water. An overhead cable is suspended from towers anchored on either bank of the river,...

    , across the Fraser River at Lytton
    Lytton, British Columbia
    Lytton in British Columbia, Canada, sits at the confluence of the Thompson River and Fraser River on the east side of the Fraser. The location has been inhabited by the Nlaka'pamux people for over 10,000 years, and is one of the earliest locations settled by non-natives in the Southern Interior of...

    , British Columbia
  • McLure Ferry
    McLure Ferry
    The McLure Ferry is a cable ferry across the North Thompson River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated about north of Kamloops.Technically, the ferry is a reaction ferry, which is propelled by the current of the water. An overhead cable is suspended from towers anchored on either bank of...

    , across the Thompson River in British Columbia
  • Usk Ferry
    Usk Ferry
    The Usk Ferry is a cable ferry across the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated about north-east of Terrace at Usk.Technically, the ferry is a reaction ferry, which is propelled by the current of the water. An overhead cable is suspended from towers anchored on either bank of...

    , across the Skeena River
    Skeena River
    The Skeena River is the second longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada . The Skeena is an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan - whose names mean "inside the Skeena River" and "people of the Skeena River" respectively, and also during the...

     in Usk
    Usk, British Columbia
    Usk is a hamlet in British Columbia, Canada just off Highway 16 north-east of Terrace on the north bank of the Skeena River. Once famous for berry-growing, a flood in the 1930s destroyed most of the community. A few people still live there now. Access is by the Usk Ferry, a reaction ferry, or...

    , British Columbia


In Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, the small Laval-sur-le-Lac Île-Bizard Ferry
Laval-sur-le-Lac Île-Bizard Ferry
The Laval-sur-le-Lac–Île-Bizard Ferry is a seasonal cable ferry near to the city of Montreal in the Canadian province of Quebec. It carries cars, bicycles and pedestrians across the Rivière des Prairies from Laval-sur-le-Lac to the Île Bizard....

 operates seasonally across the Rivière des Prairies
Rivière des Prairies
The Rivière des Prairies is a delta channel of the Ottawa River in southwestern Quebec, Canada....

 from Laval-sur-le-Lac
Laval-sur-le-Lac
Laval-sur-le-Lac is a small neighbourhood on the western-end part of Laval and was a separate city until the municipal mergers on August 6, 1965.- Geography :...

 to the Île Bizard
Île Bizard
Île Bizard is an island near the Island of Montreal in the Hochelaga Archipelago region.It was formerly a separate municipality named Ville de L'Île-Bizard, but is now part of the city of Montreal, in the borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève....

.

Czech Republic

The Dolní Žleb Ferry
Dolní Žleb Ferry
The Dolní Žleb Ferry is a cable ferry across the Elbe river at Dolní Žleb in the Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic....

 crosses the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...

 at Dolní Žleb near Děčín
Decín
Děčín is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region in the north of the Czech Republic. It is the largest town and administrative seat of the Děčín District.-Geography:...

.

Germany

A number of reaction ferries operate in Germany, particularly across the rivers Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...

 and Weser. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, they were quite common on the Rhine. Currently operating ferries include:
  • Aken Ferry, across the Elbe at Aken (Elbe)
    Aken (Elbe)
    Aken is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The town is located at the left bank of the Elbe river.- Geography :...

     in Saxony-Anhalt
    Saxony-Anhalt
    Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...

  • Barby Ferry
    Barby Ferry
    The Barby Ferry, also known as the Ronney Barby Ferry, is a cable ferry across the Elbe river between Barby and Walternienburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....

    , across the Elbe at Barby
    Barby, Germany
    Barby is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Elbe river, near the confluence with the Saale, approx. southeast of Magdeburg...

     in Saxony-Anhalt
  • Coswig Ferry
    Coswig Ferry
    The Coswig Ferry, also known as the Wörlitz Coswig Ferry, is a cable ferry across the Elbe river between Coswig and Wörlitz in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The ferry is owned by the municipality of Coswig....

    , across the Elbe at Coswig
    Coswig, Anhalt
    Coswig is a town in the district of Wittenberg of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approx. 12 km west of Wittenberg, and 15 km east of Dessau.- History :...

     in Saxony-Anhalt
  • Rathen Ferry
    Rathen Ferry
    The Rathen Ferry is a passenger cable ferry across the Elbe river at Rathen in Saxony, Germany. It connects Niederrathen, on the east bank, to Oberrathen, on the west bank. Kurort Rathen railway station, on the Dresden S-Bahn, is about from the Oberrathen ferry terminal...

    , across the Elbe at Rathen
    Rathen
    Rathen is a village in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, in Saxony, Germany, about 35 km southeast of Dresden on the Elbe River. Rathen has between 400 and 500 inhabitants....

     in Saxony
    Saxony
    The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....

  • Räbel Ferry, across the Elbe between Räbel
    Rabel
    Rabel is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....

     and Havelberg
    Havelberg
    Havelberg is a town in the district of Stendal, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Havel, and part of the town is built on an island in the centre of the river. The two parts were incorporated as a town in 1875...

     in Saxony-Anhalt
  • Rothenburg Ferry
    Rothenburg Ferry
    The Rothenburg Ferry is a cable ferry across the Saale at Rothenburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.Technically, the ferry is a reaction ferry, which is propelled by the current of the water. The ferry is attached to a floating cable which is anchored firmly in the riverbed upstream of the ferry...

    , across the Saale
    Saale
    The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...

     at Rothenburg
    Rothenburg, Saxony-Anhalt
    Rothenburg is a village and a former municipality in the Saalekreis district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Löbejün-Wettin. The Rothenburg Ferry, a cable ferry, crosses the Saale river at Rothenburg....

     in Saxony-Anhalt
  • Sandau Ferry
    Sandau Ferry
    The Sandau Ferry, also known as the Sandau Büttnershof Ferry, is a cable ferry across the Elbe river between Sandau and Büttnershof in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....

    , across the Elbe at Sandau
    Sandau
    Sandau is a town in the district of Stendal, in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, approx. 5 km south of Havelberg. It is part of the Verbandsgemeinde Elbe-Havel-Land....

     in Saxony-Anhalt
  • Veckerhagen Ferry
    Veckerhagen Ferry
    The Veckerhagen Ferry is a cable ferry across the Weser River in Germany. The ferry crosses between Veckerhagen, in Hesse, and Hemeln, in Lower Saxony. The crossing is located some north of Kassel. The ferry takes automotive, bicycle and foot passengers....

    , across the Weser between Veckerhagen in Hesse
    Hesse
    Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...

     and Hemeln
    Hemeln
    Hemeln is an outlying borough of the City of Hann. Münden. The village lies on the right bank of the Weser River, 12 km from the city proper. The highways L561 and L560 run through the community. The village's population of some 960 includes those of the two neighboring villages, Glashütte...

     in Lower Saxony
    Lower Saxony
    Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

  • Westerhüsen Ferry
    Westerhüsen Ferry
    The Westerhüsen Ferry is a cable ferry across the Elbe river in the city of Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The ferry links the districts of Westerhüsen, on the left bank, and Randau- Calenberge opposite....

    , across the Elbe at Magdeburg
    Magdeburg
    Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....

     in Saxony-Anhalt

Italy

The Traghetto di Leonardo is a historic reaction ferry across the Adda River
Adda River
The Adda is a river in North Italy, a tributary of the Po. It rises in the Alps near the border with Switzerland and flows through Lake Como. The Adda joins the Po a few kilometres upstream of Cremona. It is 313 kilometres long...

 at Imbersago
Imbersago
Imbersago is a comune in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 35 km northeast of Milan and about 15 km south of Lecco...

. It is reputed to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...

.

Poland

Reaction ferries operate across the rivers Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....

, Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...

, Warta, Dunajec and San River
San River
The San is a river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, a tributary of the Vistula River, with a length of 433 km and a basin area of 16,861 km2...

  • Opatowiec Ferry, across the Vistula between Opatowiec and Ujście Jezuickie
  • Borusowa Ferry, across the Vistula between Borusowa and Nowy Korczyn road no. 973
  • Połaniec Ferry, across the Vistula between Połaniec and Gliny Małe
  • Świniary Ferry, across the Vistula between Baranów Sandomierski and Świniary road no. 872
  • Ciszyca Ferry, across the Vistula between Tarnobrzeg and Ciszyca road no. 758
  • Korzeniewo Ferry, across the Vistula between Korzeniewo and Opalenie road no. 232
  • Gniew Ferry, across the Vistula between Gniew and Janowo road no. 510
  • Grzegorzowice Ferry, across the Oder between Grzerorzowice and Ciechowice road no. 421
  • Brzeg Dolny Ferry, across the Oder between Brzeg Dolny and Głoska
  • Milsko Ferry, across the Oder between Milsko and Przewóz road no. 282
  • Pomorsko Ferry, across the Oder at Pomorsko road no. 281
  • Brody Ferry, across the Oder at Brody road no. 280
  • Połęcko Ferry, across the Oder between Połęcko and Chlebowo road no. 138
  • Kozubów Ferry, across the Warta between Kozubów and Osina
  • Waki Ferry, across the Warta at Waki
  • Biechowy Ferry, across the Warta between Biechowy and Piersk
  • Sławsk Ferry, across the Warta between Sławsk and Węglewskie Holendry
  • Pogorzelica Ferry, across the Warta between Pogorzelica and Nowa Wieś Podgórna
  • Czeszewo Ferry, across the Warta at Czeszewo
  • Dębno Ferry, across the Warta between Dębno and Orzechowo
  • Czchów Ferry, across the Dunajec between Czchów and Piaski Drużków
  • Otfinów Ferry, across the Dunajec between Otfinów and Pasieka Otfinowska
  • Siedliszowice Ferry, across the Dunajec between Siedliszowice and Wietrzychowice
  • Krzemienna Ferry, across the San between Krzemienna and Jabłonica Ruska
  • Nozdrzec Ferry, across the San between Nozdrzec and Dąbrówka Starzeńska

Spain

The Pas de Barca Ferry on the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....

 river, in Miravet
Miravet
Miravet is a municipality in the comarca of Ribera d'Ebre in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.The village and the caste was founded by the Moors and rebuilt by the Knights Templar and transformed into a fortress-monastery, after the conquest of 1153...

 in the Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

 region of Spain has been operating since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, and continues to use a traditional wooden ferry boat design.

Switzerland

Four ferries cross the Rhine in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

.

United Kingdom

The Hampton Loade Ferry
Hampton Loade Ferry
Hampton Loade Ferry is a pedestrian cable ferry linking the villages of Hampton Loade and Hampton across the River Severn in the English county of Shropshire and providing a link to Hampton Loade village from Hampton Loade station on the heritage Severn Valley Railway, in Hampton village.The...

, which carries passengers only, crosses the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...

 at Hampton Loade
Hampton Loade
Hampton Loade is a village in Shropshire, England along the Severn Valley. It is situated on the east bank of the River Severn at , and is notable for the unusual current-operated Hampton Loade Ferry, a cable ferry to the hamlet of Hampton on the west bank...

 in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

. It is operated partly by the current and partly by punting
Punt (boat)
A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water. Punting refers to boating in a punt. The punter generally propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole...

.

United States

Several reaction ferries crossed rivers in the Ozark Mountains
The Ozarks
The Ozarks are a physiographic and geologic highland region of the central United States. It covers much of the southern half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northwestern and north central Arkansas...

 of the central United States during the first half of the 20th century. The Akers Ferry across the Current River
Current River (Missouri)
The Current River forms in the southeastern portion of the Ozarks of Missouri and becomes a 7th order stream as it flows southeasterly out of the Ozarks into northeastern Arkansas where it becomes a tributary of the Black River, which is a tributary of the White River, a tributary of the...

 near Salem
Salem, Missouri
-External links:* * Historic maps of Salem in the at the University of Missouri...

 in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

 remains in operation.

External links

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