Lincoln represents the defendants in the U.S. Circuit Court case of Hurd et al. v. Rock Island Bridge Co. On this day, the plaintiffs' attorneys present "voluminous depositions" regarding the steamboat "Effie Afton," which was traveling on the Mississippi River to St. Paul, Minnesota, when it tried to pass under a newly-built railroad bridge at Rock Island, Illinois. The steamboat hit two piers, caught fire, and sank into the river. The plaintiffs are suing the Rock Island Bridge Company for damages to recover the value of the lost ship and cargo. Chicago Daily Democratic Press (IL), 10 September 1857, 1:2-3; Chicago Daily Tribune (IL), 10 September 1857, 1:4-5.