Old ferry being removed from turnpike landscape

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VISUAL DISTRESS The former Staten Island ferry known as the Mary Murray, seen in photo from two years ago, has sat beached on the side of the Raritan River in East Brunswick since 1975. It is now being dismantled, reportedly amid concerns that it posed a low-level hazard to trespassers and the environment. EAST BRUNSWICK - Mary Murray may have lost some of her youthful beauty, but she still warrants double takes from those who pass her by.

The deteriorating ferry that carried passengers through the Staten Island Ferry system for nearly 40 years, then sat retired alongside the Raritan River for another 30, is being dismantled.

"It has become a landmark," Raritan Riverkeeper Bill Schultz said. "I sort of like it because it's one thing that makes people on the New Jersey Turnpike think about the Raritan River. I'm happy with that end of it. However, I understand the [state Department of Environmental Protection's] decision not to renew the permit."

Since the ferry's state of decay prevents it from being moved, workers have begun the long process of dismantling the 300- foot vessel in recent months. The materials are reportedly being sold for scrap metal.

The boat's owner, George Searle, purchased Mary Murray in an auction in the mid-1970s and brought it to New Jersey, where he has long operated a marina near the Edgeboro Landfill in East Brunswick. Since that time, she has sat idle along the Raritan, awaiting her fate. Drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike have been afforded a view of the old ferry as they crossed over the river just north of Exit 9.

Searle, a 79-year-old retired merchant mariner, considered turning the Mary Murray, named for a Revolutionary War figure, into a restaurant or museum, and later thought about sinking it to serve as a man-made reef, according to a report by The New York Times. Searle has long refused to speak to reporters who have inquired about the old ferry over the years.

When plans for a restaurant were in the works, Searle approached East Brunswick officials with plans to move the boat to Dallenbach's Pond, off Dunham's Corner Road. The idea sunk when it became clear that there was no way to transport the ferry to the pond, according to local officials quoted in a 1994 story in the Sentinel.

As time went on and none of the concepts panned out, problems arose with the aging seacraft. Neighbors complained that it was an eyesore, and the state reportedly sued Searle in 1981 for having the boat docked in the middle of the river.

"If he isn't going to do anything with the boat, it's a derelict," Schultz said. "It serves no purpose."

Though the Mary Murray was moved to the tidelands, and Searle secured permits to keep the boat there for seven years, the end was near for the grand lady. The DEP deemed the ferry a low-level hazard for those who may trespass, and the state agency is requiring that the boat be removed from its longtime home, according to the EdisonWetlandsAssociation (EWA).

"It has an attraction to the people," Schultz said. "Sooner or later, someone is going to be seriously injured on it."

According to Schultz, curious kids often climb onto the historic hulk to explore during boating season.

While the rusting boat does not pose water pollution issues, according to Schultz, the threat of asbestos on board has piqued the DEP's concern.

The ferry was christenedMaryMurray and launched on June 3, 1937, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Mary Murray and its sister ships, Gold StarMother andMiss New York, were the first to be given female names. They traversed the Hudson River between Staten Island and Manhattan daily until 1967.

"It's of a class that's no longer sailing," Schultz said.

Though the boat's orange exterior is stained darker by pervading rust and some of the windows from which commuters and tourists once gazed are now broken or missing completely, there is still evidence of the splendor that captured Searle's seafaring heart so many years ago.

"Seeing the Mary Murray removed is the end of an era, and it's a real shame that they couldn't salvage this unique piece of local history that people have long associated with the Lower Raritan Watershed," said Bob Spiegel, executive director of the EWA.