John A. Whitney, known as the "Dynamite King," posed for a portrait while sitting on an empty explosives crate for reporters from the Portland Evening Express. The feature, published on April 28, 1927, was titled "Dynamite King Demonstrates Harmlessness of His Wares If Intelligently Handled." It explored Whitney’s work with explosives across New England and described his dynamite storage facilities, or “magazines,” located beyond the easterly end of the Martin’s Point Bridge.

As the title suggests, Whitney aimed to challenge the public perception that dynamite, storage, and transport were unsafe. During the interview, he unsettled the reporters by demonstrating how difficult it was to detonate dynamite. At one point, he kicked a 50-pound case of dynamite from a wheelbarrow to the ground. He also handed a reporter a stick of dynamite and told him to throw it at a concrete wall. When the reporter declined, Whitney used his jackknife to cut open the stick and break it in half.