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NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8-86) Wisconsin Word Processing Format (Approved 3/87) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Schooner-barge PRETORIA Section 7 Page 7 Ashland County, WI hull flattened itself on the bottom, and were not a result of the storm damage which sank the vessel. The breaks in the planking allow for a partial examination of Pretoria's hull reinforcement. Beneath her exterior planking, and over the frames, are placed the vessel's steel cross-bracing. The straps measure 5 inches in width and ^-inch in thickness, and form a diagonal basketwork of steel strapping over the entire hull. Intriguingly, segments of wire cable, 1 to 1% inches in diameter, may also be seen beneath certain areas of the planking, though not to an extent which could determine what, if any, their architectural function might have been. It is possible that these are simply disarticulated pieces of wire rigging or mooring hawser that have somehow found their way into crevices; or it is possible that these are part of a new subplank reinforcement system for the massive Pretoria that the wily James Davidson hid from his contemporaries, and which remains largely hidden from modern investigators. Other artifacts and material lie off the starboard side of the wreck, including 1-inch diameter shroud-laid cable, fastenings, 1%-inch diameter steampipe or waterpipe, and a metal coal shovel with a 34-inch long wooden handle, terminating in a "D"-type handgrip. Several large sections of the Pretoria remain unaccounted for, and may have been pushed to the southwest of the main wreck, closer to the lighthouse. As the bell was reportedly located in this area, which was also downwind of the wreck when it occurred, this area appears to be the most likely resting place for the Pretoria's missing stern, decking, and rudder. It is also possible that portions of the cabins and hatches are in the area, although these may have floated a greater distance. Diver reconnaissance in the vicinity of the main hull discovered remarkably little wreckage in the immediate area, apart from a few fastenings and small timbers. However, if the ship's wheel was found (as was reported), it suggests that the stern and rudder must be in the area.