The Lincoln series will examine a court case involving a collision between a boat and a bridge

The next program in the Looking for Lincoln Conversations series will explore one of Abraham Lincoln’s most famous legal cases – a case that pitted Chicago’s railroad interests against St. Louis’ river interests.

“Water Under the Bridge: Abraham Lincoln and the Effie Afton Affair” will air Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the Looking for Lincoln YouTube channel and Facebook page, according to the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition. The program is free and viewers can ask questions which will be answered at the end of the program.

The case, officially Hurd v. Rock Island Bridge Co., stems from an incident in which a boat collided with a bridge. The affair has traditionally been believed to show Lincoln’s support for the railroad and new technologies, but a recent study indicated otherwise, according to the coalition.

Program hosts John Lupton and Samuel Wheeler, both members of the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission, will discuss what happened when the riverboat Effie Afton crashed into the First Bridge railway to span the Mississippi River at Rock Island.

The live program will be recorded for later viewing.

The coalition is the coordinating entity for the 43-county Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.