Too big for new home, debris chunk to be trimmed

NEWPORT (AP) — If it does not fit, you must trim it.

That's what Oregon authorities learned to their chagrin as they tried to move a huge section of Japanese tsunami debris to a marine science center in Newport on Wednesday.

A 105,000-pound chunk of the boxcar-sized concrete dock that floated across the Pacific to reach an Oregon beach last summer was to be part of an interactive display at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. The display highlights tsunami dangers and honors those who died in the March 2011 disaster in Japan.

The Oregonian reports that a company hired to move the dock section asked highway officials to close a nearby bridge while the giant load crossed. Before that could happen, those involved realized that the chunk was not only too big to fit its new home but a crane wouldn't be able to reach the site to put it in place.

Now former Newport Mayor Mark McConnell says the dock section will be cut into a smaller piece to fit its new home.

Most of the 66-foot-long dock was dismantled and hauled away for salvage.

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Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com