Primary:
Columbus-America Discovery Group V. Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company, (2000).
Columbus-America Discovery Group, Inc. V. Unidentified, Wrecked, and Abandoned Sailing Vessel, (1989).
Columbus-America Discovery Group, Inc. V. Unidentified, Wrecked, and Abandoned Sailing Vessel, (1990).
I have chosen these three cases to represent the beginning and end of the court battle over the gold rediscovered by the Columbus-America Discovery Group in the late 1980s. They provide extensive information on the find, and will serve as a profound contrast to period documents from the time of William Lewis Herndon’s death. There are several other hearings that may or may not be used, but at this time I feel that these cases will be more than sufficient to cover this portion of the Herndon story.
Herndon Monument Fund: Report of the Committee to Collect Funds, and Procure and Erect a Monument to the Memory of the Late Commander Wm. Lewis Herndon, U.S. Navy. Washington: Printed by Cornelius Wendell, 1858.
This report marks the beginning of the movement to establish a monument in the memory of Commander William Lewis Herndon. It ultimately proved successful, and is relevant in that it highlights the reasons why Herndon deserved a monument, and what young Midshipmen should learn from this hero. The document also is a window into the values of the mid-nineteenth century United States Navy.
Maury, Matthew Fontaine. "Report on the Loss of the Mail Steamer Central America under the Command of William Lewis Herndon ", 1857, 1884.
This report was written by the brother-in-law of William Lewis Herndon, Matthew Fontaine Maury, who was also a naval officer. The document offers a more personal look into the life of Commander Herndon and the story behind the sinking of the S.S. Central America. This document further explains the values of the nineteenth century Navy and is a contrast to the twentieth century court battle over “buried treasure.”
Secondary:
McCormack, Howard M. "Finders Keepers--Losers Weepers: Underwriters' Problems with Deep Sea and Other Salvage Operations." Federation of Insurance & Corporate Counsel Quarterly Fall (1998).
This journal article offers a twentieth century look into the world of insurers who fought for their share of the S.S. Central America’s precious cargo. An unflattering, especially from the perspective of an outsider, depiction of insurance and the legal system.
Kinder, Gary. Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea. 1st Vintage Books ed. New York: Vintage Books, 1999.
Kinder’s book is the only secondary volume on the S.S. Central America or William Lewis Herndon that I have located thus far. I have not read it thoroughly at this juncture but from my limited examination I feel that it will be a valuable addition to my own analysis.