"The Big Stories Then in the Clear Light of Now" -- The Garbage Barge

"Dan Rather called it 'the most watched load of garbage in the memory of man.' It was 1987. A small town businessman had what seemed like a promising idea, to transport New York trash by barge to a landfill in North Carolina, where it would be converted into methane to heat homes. And then the news media latched on to the story."

"Suddenly the transport of a 3,000-ton load of normal garbage became a tale of a toxic cargo set loose upon the open seas. For five months, news helicopters recorded the barge’s every move, as it was turned away by scared government officials in six states and three countries. 'The Barge to No Where.' 'The Gar-barge.'"

Michael Winerip reports for the New York Times May 6, 2013.