See below for the full frame of the photo. What's going on in this picture? They're in Darwin, Australia - the last "real place" before the long hop to Howland. It seems safe to assume that they're either off-loading stuff to leave in Darwin or they're loading stuff aboard that has been acquired in Darwin. Two parachutes, a bottle of nitrogen for servicing the landing gear struts, a spare tail wheel, a control yoke, a can of tomato juice (on the cabin floor), a "paint can" style can of lubricant on the ground, and the Mobilubricant can AE is holding. "Last Flight" says she left the parachutes in Darwin but press accounts by journalists who were there say she picked up two parachutes that had been shipped to her in Darwin. Also, off-loading full cans of lubricant she might need in servicing the aircraft in Lae doesn't make sense, so it looks like this is all stuff she has acquired in Darwin.
Metric? When did Australia go metric? I can read "lbs" on the can of lubricant on the ground.
While it could be loading/off loading it could be during or immediately after customs had gone through the Electra. So some of this stuff was just removed and examined
From arrival at Darwin chapter in "Last Flight":
"We were pounced upon by a doctor as we rolled to a stop, and thereupon were examined thoroughly for tropical diseases. No one could approach us or the airplane until we had passed muster. If this work is done at all it should be thorough, and I approved the methods, although the formalities delayed refueling operations. The customs officials had to clear the Electra as if she were an ocean-going vessel, but that was done with much dispatch. Inasmuch as we had little in the plane but spare parts, fuel and oil, the process was simplified."
The happenings in that image are indeed interesting, Off-loading/On-loading, a combination of both? I confess I consider myself an amateur sleuth, untrained in detective work, but here are some of my amateur observations nonetheless.
I reason the tailwheel and the extra steering yoke, and nitrogen bottle would be stored far aft in the storage area near the tail, the parachutes would be more fore, near the entry of the storage door, and that is the how they appear to be unloaded...parachutes first, then tailwheel and yoke atop them.
Did the doctor order a complete unloading of the plane to allow fumigation to reach every nook and cranny,?....I did some research on diseases going on in Australia , and it seemed there was a bug going around during the late 1930's that caused a few deaths,but was getting under control by the time Earhart arrived, but in the interest of caution all visitors from afar may have been closely monitored.
Concerning the parachutes though, that is one question that may never be answered,....but to this admittedly unprofessionally trained in detective work layperson....I ask myself, would Earhart/Noonan stack greasy, heavy plane parts on brand new, potentially lifesaving parachutes?
I can see leaving the extra steering yoke behind, however the tailwheel, is another matter considering the next few landing strips to be encountered.
