The McKeldin Ferry

FERRY UPDATE:

4:47 pm: The McKeldin Ferry has been removed from the fountain. The ferry inventor contacted us and shared his/her story about how the ferry came to be and how it was removed. One day, the inventor woke up and decided to build a ferry to cross the Great McKeldin Sea, and so got to work. After a few weeks, the ferry was completed. The inventor got some friends together, and they placed the ferry in the McKeldin Fountain around 2 am on October 3, 2013.

HiddenUMD photographed and played with the ferry at dawn. A few hours later, the inventor sent us the following:

"It was removed at about 9:15 this morning. Two nice men drove up with a truck and took it away. They seemed amused by it, at least somewhat. One took several pictures with his cell phone. Innocently asking what they would do with it, one responded, 'We'll put it in storage until we know what's going on.' So that's somewhat of a relief that it's probably not just being thrown away. Perhaps we can rally to get it back."

The inventor has assured us that he/she is working on more cool stuff. While we wait, let's #returntheferry to the ODK.

ORIGINAL POST:

7:30 am: Someone decided the walk around McKeldin Fountain was just too much. Early this morning, a ferry was placed in the middle of the fountain for everyone's use. We decided to check it out at dawn. It is SO COOL! It takes a little bit to get one's balance, but it is completely possible to cross the fountain while staying dry. It's a one-person ferry, controlled by a big crank and connected to either side of the fountain by a strong wire. We can't wait to see if students use it, or how long it stays out there before it gets removed. Send us your pictures of you using the McKeldin Ferry before it goes away for good!

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