May 6, 1856 – The Steamboat Effie Afton rams into the new Rock Island (C&RI) Railroad Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River – temporarily putting it out of service.
On the morning of May 6, 1856, just fifteen days after the Rock Island Railroad Bridge opened, the steamboat Effie Afton crashed into the bridge, causing one span of the bridge and the boat to burn. The accident was considered a bit suspicious, with some believing the steamboat industry – which stood to lose a lot of business to the railroads – pre-planned the “accident.” The legal case surrounding the incident went to court, eventually making it all the way to the Supreme Court, with a lawyer from Springfield, IL, one Abraham Lincoln, representing the railroads along the way.
A Day-by-Day Calendar of Historical Events In Iowa, William J. Petersen, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1946, p 43
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