With an environmentally sensitive cove 500 feet to the south, active reservoirs 300 feet west, new administrative offices 250 feet north, and the existing power station just 50 feet east, there was literally no room to 'lay the stack out' without endangering or destroying one of these exposures. And unlike tall steel radio towers- which remain tethered to the ground via guy-wires during their fall- there was no way to safely 'guide' the structure down once the initial blast occurred. Even the smallest miscalculation would almost certainly result in severe consequences to the surrounding area.

First, a wedge blasted at the 350-foot elevation would start the top half of the stack moving towards the north. As it's center of gravity moved off-line, the base of this top section would 'kick back' (as all rigidly-reinforced structures are prone to do) and slide almost straight down, with the high end continuing in a slightly northerly direction. This would be followed quickly by a second, more powerful blast at the base of the stack on the opposite southerly side, which would cause the bottom half to 'sit down' and slowly pitch to the south. If all went as planned, the debris pile would be confined to the small open area between the stack's base and the cove.