Blowing Up a Dead Whale With Dynamite
In a decision that backfired badly, the authorities turned to dynamite: 20 cases or half a ton of it. A military veteran with explosives training was in the area, and he warned that 20 cases of dynamite were way too much. His advice that 20 sticks of dynamite would be enough was ignored by the authorities. They hoped that the blast would disintegrate the whale, with the resulting small pieces getting consumed by scavengers. As an Oregon Highway Division official told news reporters about the plan to get rid of the dead whale:
“Well, I’m confident that it’ll work. The only thing is, we’re not sure just exactly how much explosives it will take to disintegrate this thing, so the scavengers, seagulls, and crabs and whatnot can clean it up“. Dynamite was buried beneath the whale, primarily on the landward side so most of the carcass would get blown into the ocean. Scores of bystanders gathered to watch the spectacle, and were moved back about a quarter of a mile away as a safety precaution. The onlookers cheered when the dynamite was detonated at 3:45 PM, on November 12th, 1970.
