In 1853 a man named Joseph Avery can be seen desperately clinging to a log in the middle of the Niagara River. Avery was part of a group of three men that were boating along the river, their vessel losing control in the strong current and smashing into a rock.

Avery’s two companions were carried straight to their death over the waterfall, but Avery was able to scramble onto a log that was caught between two rocks. After holding on for eighteen hours, Avery managed to climb onto a rescue boat that was guided downriver. Unfortunately, the boat capsized almost immediately, tossing Avery straight into the river and over the falls.