The daily republic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1853-1853, 1853-07-23

A CMAostsepAs At Niagara Faaas.
O16 fead66fS have Had brief accounts, received
byYs1sgraph .aft hsss men having lost their lives
by drifting ovsr Niagara Falls. We CLEAN the
following pasticAlan Of this melancholy occur
renee:
"On Tuesday evening about halfPast nine
o'clock, three men having como down tho Niaga-
ra river in a scow, got into skiff alongside, and
it is supposed they fell asleep, when the boat was
separated from the scow, and was hurried with
fearful ra3;dity towards the falls. Two Of the
men, ono named Andrew Hnnaman, the other
stranger, were hurled ut once over the foaming
sheet; the third, Joseph Avery, caught hold Of a
stump in his fearful passage, and had chung to it
until no was discovered there the next morning 1
Boats wero Immediately sent out to rescue him
from his perilous situation, but were instantly
swamped in the rapids Meanwhile, crowds Of
strangers and great number of citizens thronged
to the banks, and the most painful excitement
prevailed"
The Buffalo Commercial, of the Goth instant,
thus continues the details from one O'Clock of
Wednesday:
"The man was in part of the rapids where
the rocks rise nearly to the surface of the water
log of wood, apparently wedged tightly be-
higher out of the water, was his resting-plnce.
Here he remained; half clingng to and half perch
ing upon tho log, from which he would OCCASION
ally slip down and walk little on the rocks,
which were only short distance under water.
few feet in advance was small fall of about four
or five feet, and here, and on each side of him,
the waters rushed wildly at speed of about
forty miles an hour. About half-past two o'clock
in the afternoon raft was constructed, formed Of
crossed timbers strongly fastened in square
h<w-1 hair IL ccI: 4 hn
raft was strongly secured with ropes on each side,
and was Aoated down to the rocks upon which
Avery was stationed. As it approached the spot
where he stood the rope got fast in the rocks and
the raft became immovable. Avery then appeared
to muster strength and courage, and descending
from the log walked over the rocks to the place
where the rope had caught, and labored long and
hard to disengage it from the rocks. After some
time he succeeded and then, with renewed ener
gy, inspired by the hope of success, he pulled
manfully at the rope until he succeeded in bring
ing the raft from the current towards his fearful
resting place.
"Avery now got ON to the raft, making himself
fast thereto by means of ropes which had been
placed there for that purpose, and those on the
land commenced drawing it towards the shore.
1t had approached within thirty feet of one of the
small islands, towards which its course was di-
rected, when suddenly it became stationary in the
midst of the rapids, the ropes having again caught
in the rocks. All endeavors to move it were
found to be in vain, and much fear was enter
tanned that the strain upon tho ropes might break
them and occasion the poor fellows loss. Va
rious suggestions were now volunteered, and sew
eral attempts were made to reach him. One
man went out in boat as far as he dared to ven
ture, and asked him if he would fasten rope
round his body and trust to being drawn in by
that The poor fellow, however, shook his head
despondingly, though he felt that he had not
strength enough remaining to make himself secure
to rope. At length a boat was got ready-a
lfe-boat, which had arrived from Buffalo--and
was launched. Seeing the preparations, Avery
Embossed his fastenings, with the intention of be-
ing ready to spring into the boat Borne on by the
rushing waters, and amid the breathless suspense
of the spectators, the boat approached the raft.
A thrill ran through the crowd-the boat lived
III the angry waves-t struck the raft--a shout
of Joy rang forth from the shores, for it was be-
lieved that he was saved-when suddenly the
hope that had been raised was again destroyed
moments confusion followed the collision, and
in the next the victim was seen in the midst of
the waters, separated from his ffail support and
struggling for life. For moment or two the poor
fellow, striking out boldly, swan strongly to-
wards the island, and the cry echoed from shore
to shore that he would yet be saved. But soon
the fact became certain that he receded from the
shore-his strength was evidently failing. Ora
dually he was borne back into the 6ercest part of
the current-slowly at first, then more rapidly.
Swiftly and more swiftly he approached the brink
their undisputed victim, and madly they whirled
him on to death, though enraged at his persever
ing efforts to escape their fury. A sickening
feeling over the spectators when, just on the
brink Of the precipce, the doomed man sprung
up from the waters-clear from their surface
raising himself upright DIS statue, with his arms
flung wildly aloft, and with piercing shrek that
rang loudly above the hooking roar of the cata-
ract, fell back into the foaming waves, and was
hurled over the brow Of the fatal precipice!
ssWe have no heart for comment upon the me-
lancholy and awful event. The fate Of poor Av-
cry will add another to the many fearful local in
cdents already related by the guides at the Falls,
and for years his critical situation, his hard strug
giles, his fearful DEATH will be the theme of many
narrowing tale. And visitors to the mighty cata-
ract will seek the of the terrible catastrophe
with shuddering curiosity, and the timid and the
ing that they still hear above the waters the
fearful shrek that preceded the fatal plunge
The Albany Atlas, speaking of the case Of poor
Avery, remarks:
s'The scene itself was appalng-of this man
hanging between life and DEATH on the edge of
that vast precpce of headlong waters. But it
receives additional poignancy when, by the
mysterious agency of the telegraph, the whole
public, within the radius of thousand miles, are
made to participate in his agony. The spectators
on the shores who beheld his struggles were hard
ly more present at the scene than the men who,
in the distant cities, were told from hour to hour,
and from minute to minute, Of his peril, and the
alternate chances. of death and escape"
The Rochester Democrat says that Avery was a
young man twenty years of age, and that his dis
tracted father among the spectators. The boat,
which was made fast to the log, and the raft, are
still swayng to and fro in the current. None of the
bodies have been found, and probably never will
be-