The ferry service known as White's Ferry briefly broke free of its cable Friday afternoon, floating about 500 yards down the Potomac River with a dozen cars aboard.
The ferry was tugged back to shore around 4 p.m. Friday and has reopened for service on Saturday morning.
It had broken loose from its cable sometime before 3 p.m., and the current took the ferry and its passengers downstream, authorities said. Boats from Montgomery and Loudoun counties were called to assist at the scene in Dickerson, Maryland.
Everyone was safely removed from the ferry, and no one was injured.
The ferry links Whites Ferry Road in Montgomery County, Maryland, with Whites Ferry Road in Loudoun County, Virginia.
The boat that broke free is the last of 100 ferries that used to operate on the Potomac River, according to the town website for Poolesville, Maryland. The boat is officially named for confederate Civil War Gen. Jubal A. Early, although it's colloquially referred to as White's Ferry.
"FERRY IS CLOSED," read the White's Ferry Facebook page around 3 p.m. Friday. "Due to technical difficulties the ferry is out of service until further notice. Please check back regularly for updates."
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