It was a hot, steamy summer afternoon on July 28, 1841 when James Boulard and Henry Mallin sighted what appeared to be a body floating in the water of the Hudson River near the shore of Hoboken, New Jersey. The two men, who had been trying to relax at a quiet retreat called Sybil's Cave located across the river from the heat and crowding of New York City, raced to a nearby dock and borrowed a boat to retrieve the floating object.