[19], Linnman, Paul and Doug Brazil, Chapter 7.
Whalers once believed the fluid was sperm, but scientists still do not understand the function of spermaceti. The cause of the phenomenon was initially unknown, since it unexpectedly occurred in the spinal area of the whale, not in its abdomen as might be expected. Barry later said that, on a fairly regular basis, someone would forward him his own column and suggest he write something about the described incident. A charge of one-half short ton (450 kg) of dynamite was selected. And the phone keeps ringing. Body parts were scattered across the road when the whale exploded. The unattributed copy of Barry's article did not explain that the event had happened approximately twenty-five years earlier.
"It's a cute whale.
439 out of 856 voters, according to The New York Times, chose the name Exploding Whale Memorial Park over other candidates like Bridge View Park and Siuslaw River View Park. 50 years later, a new park will memorialize the event after opening under a temporary name last May. A marine biologist blamed the explosion on pressure from gases building up in the mammal as it began to decompose. An example of a spontaneously bursting whale carcass occurred in Taiwan in 2004, when the buildup of gas inside a decomposing sperm whale caused it to burst in a crowded urban area while it was being transported for a post-mortem examination. "They thought the whale had washed ashore recently, and were hot on the trail of a governmental blubber flub-up. A marine biologist blamed the explosion at the time on pressure from gases which had built up in the mammal as it began to decompose. A military veteran with explosives training who happened to be in the area warned that the planned twenty cases of dynamite was far too much, and that 20 sticks (8.4 lb or 3.8 kg[6]) would have sufficed, but his advice went unheeded. ", You have 4 free articles remaining this month, Sign-up to our daily newsletter for more articles like this + access to 5 extra articles.
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Literally", "Hvalhræ dregið út á haf og síðan aftur upp í fjöru", "Explosives Used To Blow Up Whale in South Africa", "Stranded whale to be blown up in harbour", "Dead blue whale 'might explode' in Newfoundland town", "Whale 'explodes' on Skegness beach as coastguard investigate fifth sighting", Exploding Whale news piece by Paul Linnman, Taiwan's exploding whale incident on National Geographic, Offbeat Oregon History article: "The truth about the legendary exploding whale of Florence, Oregon", "Rotting whale's carcase may have to be blown up", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Exploding_whale&oldid=977882394, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from January 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, In 1928, entrepreneurs Harold L. Anfenger and M. C. Hutton accidentally exploded a whale carcass they were attempting to preserve for a. Whale corpses are regularly disposed of using explosives; however, the whales are usually first towed out to sea. The explosives-expert veteran's brand-new automobile, purchased during a "Get a Whale of a Deal" promotion in a nearby city, was flattened by a chunk of falling blubber.
Express. The story was brought to widespread public attention by writer Dave Barry in his Miami Herald column of May 20, 1990, when he reported that he possessed footage of the event. 50 Years Ago a Whale Exploded in Oregon, Now There's Exploding Whale Park | Culture. But the destruction of the sperm whale's corporeal form will be memorialized in more than just name: the park's new sign features a whale, intact, spouting water in the shape of a heart. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.