Video: 'FROM THE ARCHIVES: The exploding whale of Florence, Oregon'

(Thursday, November 12, 1970, 3:45 p.m. PST) — A dead 45-foot Pacific gray whale, estimated to weigh 8 tons, was blown up today on a beach near Florence, Oregon, after engineers figured it was the best way to dispose of the big mammal.

When the blast went off, chunks flew in every direction, sailing over the heads of spectators and photographers. One piece about 5 feet long and 3 feet wide caved in the roof a car.

A crew with the State Highway Division had placed 20 cases of dynamite under the whale’s body, which had washed up on the beach on Nov. 9, 1970, and had become quite smelly.

The experts say sea gulls and other natural scavengers would clean up the mess.