Railroads and Their Bridges

After the Wheeling Bridge Case, the next conflict with river bridges was the Case of the Effie Afton. In Sep 1857, the steamer Effie Afton crashed into a new railroad bridge spanning the Mississippi River at Rock Island, IL. The steamer was destroyed by the resulting fire. The owners of the steamer brought suit against the railroad. There were two legitimate complaints:

(1) The railway level of the bridge was not sufficiently high.
(2) The piers were not placed with proper reference to the channels.

Abraham Lincoln represented the railroad and achieved what amounted to a victory with a hung jury.

Railroads and their bridges were here to stay!

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