The Maid of the Mist performed a heart-stopping rescue on July 9, 1960. Jim Honeycutt, out for a cruise with niece and nephew Deanne and Roger Woodward, was just approaching the rapids in the upper Niagara River when his small boat developed engine trouble. Though he rowed frantically, Honeycutt was no match for the swift current, which swamped the boat and pitched all three into the water. Deanne, swept close to the Terrapin Point shore, was rescued by tourists, but the unfortunate Honeycutt plunged over the Horseshoe Falls to his death.
Fate smiled on young Roger as, with nothing but a life jacket to protect him, he hurtled over the brink at an estimated 75 miles per hour. Maid of the Mist II, with Captain Clifford Keech at the helm, was right below. "Man overboard!" an incredulous voice cried out. Keech swiftly veered off course and headed for the boy swimming valiantly in the churning pool.
A life ring soared through the air...and fell short.
The second toss came closer, till the current cruelly snatched it away. On his third try, Captain Keech swung the Maid in a wide circle, wrapping the life ring line around the boy. As it floated, at last, within reach, Roger grabbed and, in seconds, was safe aboard. While Roger Woodward gained instant fame as the fourth person to live through a plunge over the cataract, the other three shielded themselves within specially constructed barrels of wood, rubber or steel. To this day, Roger is the sole human being to survive a trip over the Falls protected only by a life jacket.
In 1980, Roger returned to the scene with his wife, Susan, this time simply to enjoy the Maid of the Mist like so many other travelers.
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