was long. The bridge was built by utilizing timber and iron, which rested on granite piers. The draw-span allowed an opening of on both sides to let steamboats pass through. The lower deck of the bridge, which was above water, was used for wagons while the upper deck was used for railway traffic. Post-completion history Since the bridge crossed the island which used to be the home of Fort Armstrong, the Department of War had a say in its construction. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis and President Franklin Pierce initially approved the bridge; thinking that the transcontinental railroad would go through the South to Los Angeles. He later changed his mind as resistance to that plan began to surface, fearing that the transcontinental railroad would now take a northern route. Davis ordered the construction halted, but he was ignored. Effie Afton collision On May 6, 1856, the steamer Effie Afton collided with the bridge after one of its paddles stopped. The crew were rescued, but the steamer caught fire, damaged the bridge, and sank. Steamboat companies sued to have the bridge dismantled. The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad (M&M) and the Rock Island Line hired Abraham Lincoln to defend the bridge. The case, Hurd v. Rock Island Bridge Co., ended in a hung jury in the circuit court in Chicago, and was dismissed. The case ultimately worked its way to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, the M&M and Rock Island merged to become the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. At the time of the collision, the bridge was built in a difficult part of the rapids, and its draw-span was at an angle to the current (making the bridge hard for steamboats to clear). Many felt that the bridge had been designed to interfere with steamboat traffic. Durant took his earnings from the M&M merger to form the Union Pacific Railroad. Lincoln, as part of his research as an attorney, visited M&M facilities and met with M&M officials in Council Bluffs. When the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 gave him the power to choose the eastern terminus of the transcontinental railroad, he picked a location favorable to his former clients. The case trial ended in a hung jury, and was dismissed; the Supreme Court ruled on a subsequent suit on December 18, 1862, and the bridge remained operational. Second bridge 1866 The first bridge only lasted until 1866, when