Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-15
OVER THE CATARACT.
Thrilling Incident at Niagara Falls
The Fate of Joseph Avery.
From Paekard's Monthly for September.

s as Inc American rapids, lying eq
5 distant between the America
3 shore and the islands, and Bath
3 land bridge and the brink of tt
falls, rock projects two or thre
feet above the water. The ey
rests upon it merely as a speck
,, the midst of this angry flood ; W.T.
every dash of the torrent pourin
down from the plateau above, it
half submerged, and sometime
wholly hidden from sight. At tn
time of this casualty, a log, tire
or four feet in length, had beel
damned in or under this rock, ant
pOrtruded from it. The spot wa
one that was in the daily sight O
hundreds, and in the early hours o
that memorable summer morning
the first man who had occasion t.
cross the bridge was startled ant
Mortified TO see human form stand
ing erect in the midst of the raging
whirling flood on this littlepoint O
rock, wildly waving his arms. He
must have shouted, too, but hi:
cries were drowned in the uproar o.
the rapids. 1t was Joseph Avery
the sole survivor of the unfortuns
ate boats crew. 1t was conjectured
that the boat must have sped down
to this point, unframed by rocks OF
rapids, and that, by striking
here, Avery was thrown, OF
sprang out, finding just room
enough for a perilous foothold,
while the other two, with the boat,
were swept on over the cat
aract. The alarm quick spread.
1t is moi difficult to draw a crowd
at Niagara-for the excitement
seekers Of the world are there
and in half an hour the bridge and
adjacent shores were thronged with
Mortified yet curious spectators.
With them came some dozen of
boatmen, labOrers and others, who
comprehended at once that there
was a chance for rescue, and i'm
mediately began to devise a plan.
In the meantime, the man had been
recognized by some one, and while
the preparations were being made
large board was rudely lettered
with the words in German, ave
will save youp' and held up so
that he could read it. He tossed
his arms up and down several times,
in token that he comprehended its
meaning; and the crowd awaited
the result of the preparations, and
watched the object of them with al
most breathless anxiety. 1t was
truly frightful to see him there
amid that bowling waste, almost in
the jaws of the mighty cataract, and
apparently cut off from all human
aid. But as the day wore on, and
the poor fellow became used to
the situation, he seem to bear it |
with much composure. Sometimes,
to change his position, he sat down
upon the rock and sometimes made
gestures to the crowd, the meaning
of which could not often be under
stood. His face, seen through q
glass, looked eager, almost beyond
the expression of human faces, but
it was hopeful, too.
AS noon approached, the first at
tempt was made for his rescue. A
large raft had been constructed of
heavy plank, bound together cross
wise, and this was 10 be lowered
down from the bridge, with strong
ropes, to the castaway, when it was
thought that he could be drawn up
without great difficulty. The ven
ture was a failure from the start. |
The rapids seized and whirled it
away before the men at the ropes
could check it; the ropes became
and the raft was carried
far below the rock, and at last went
over the falls.
1t was q bitter, bitter disappoint- |
ment-as well to the sympathizing, |
throng as to the imper-
lied man. But, nothing daunted, |
the stout hearts and ready hands
Immediately set about the making |
of another raft, while others were |
occupied in conveying food and |
drink to poor Avery. This was
easily done in tin cases, attached to
stout cords, which were floated |
down to him. The castaway eat
his solitary meal there upon that
inaccessible point of rock with
keen relish, and then stood up and |
bowed his thanks. Again and again
the cheering words, eve will save
you," were exhibited, and he was
encouraged by other short sentences
in his native language, which were
in the same way painted in huge |
letters and held up to him.
The afternoon slowly wore on
the long, hot, listless summer after
noon there in Niagara, usually de-
voted to idling over iced drinks in
the shade of the hotel porches or
parIors, but now cheerfully given
up to the assistance of, or sympathy |
for, o follow being. There were
hundreds in that crowd who,
by thatspirit of American
chivalry which is never wanting
among us, would have cheerfully
plunged in to his rescue, could
the act have been any other
than useless foolhardiness; and
there were wealthy men there,
who went through the crowd
under the deepest sense of emotion,
offering large rewards to whoever
would rescue him. The telegraph
had by this time carried the news
far and wide; the afternoon papers
Of New York on this day contained
it, and the afternoon trains
from Buffalo and Rochester came
freighted with hundreds more to
view the peril of the poor German
for themselves.
The building of the second raft
progressed; but although every
thing was done to hasten it, dark
ness found it unfinished, and the
crowd unwillingly dispersed for the
night. The Omniscient alone can
tell how that poor, forloln soul
passed the dark, dreary hours that
interviewed before morning, sleep
less from necessity, weary, lonely,
with the waters raging like I'M
chained beasts all around him. and
the great abyss of terror yaw ming
almost ST his feet Some sweet hone