Questions about "Three Steps Forward, No Steps Back"

[Don Yee]

I just received the email update about the White Ghost and had some questions and observations (I'm looking forward to reading more in the next newsletter).

a. What is the scale on the image included in 3? Honestly I'm not sure what I am looking at. Are those oblong objects in the image boulders or peddles?
b. Also for 3, if metal objects exhibited accelerated decay under conditions of heat and fire then how would wood survive? I realize it may be the only piece of wood remaining, but is there a hypothesis for why it may still remain to be visible near the surface?
c. If the only remaining metal objects are indeed buried, is there any way to locate them with scans? I realize some magnetic scans were done but the interference with the geology made those difficult to interpret. Is someone going to just have to start sifting the silt and mud?
d. I assumed the engine block would be cast iron. Is this not true? It seems like the iron may react differently then the steel. What about any aluminum or tin?
Finally, Under point 1, it's written, "There should be no castor oil in Gull Pond unless it came from L'Oiseau Blanc." If I was reviewing this as a scientific article I'd suggest toning that down as it's an overstatement of evidence. Yes, it's very likely nothing else could have led there to be any castor oil in Gull Pond, however it's presence alone would not be definitive of the crash.

Thanks,
Don...