HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Power outages occurred in Prince Rupert, Port Simpson, Terrace, and Kitimat. In Kitimat, a 40-minute power
outage and flooding occurred. Early on January 22, a hydro transmission tower, 10.5 mi. (16.8 km) from Kemano at an
altitude of 2,300 ft. (690 m) near the Kildala Pass was knocked down by an avalanche. The slab-type avalanche, with
a depth of 3-4 m, wiped out the aluminum tower 105L. The rebuilding of the tower was completed by July 1, 1973.
The repairs were completed three weeks ahead of schedule. The line between Kemano-Kitimat had been operating on
one circuit since January. *1)
On January 21, CNR reported five snowslides at Mile 43.6, 43.7, and 50.1. The rail line was closed for 23
hours.
Stewart reported 23.8 in. (60.5 cm) of snow. Schools were closed on January 23-24.
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*1) Subsequently, the legs of towers 105L and 105R were protected by placing strong steel breakers in front of them.
(Jamieson and Geldsetzer 1996).
March 14, 1973
Event type: Fatal snow avalanche.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Stethem and Schaerer 1979 (pp. 26-28).
On March 14, a snow avalanche on Nine Mile Mountain near Hazelton buried and killed one member of a
party of six snowmobilers. The passage of two of the snowmobiles probably caused the large dry snow avalanche,
which contained both a slab and a broken cornice. Prior to the avalanche, several days of freeze-thaw had been
experienced at Nine Mile Mountain. The slope in question was fairly short and the survivors described it as not being
particularly steep. Wind during the winter had scoured the ridge and deposited the snow on the avalanche snow. The
majority of the latter, both chunky and fine in texture, was deposited at the slope transition.
The ski of the victim’s machine was located about 1.5 m below the surface. It took 40 minutes to uncover the
victim. He was found face up, blue and not breathing, underneath the overturned snowmobile 2.2-3 m below the snow
surface. Removing him from the hole was very difficult because the snow had set like cement.
May 26, 1973
Event type: Clay slump.
Precipitation: Not available.
Source: The Province, May 28, 1973; B.C. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources 1993.
On May 26 west of Fort St. John, a clay slump dammed the Peace River some 20 mi. (32 km) upstream from
Fort St. John for about 12 hours. On May 27, a lake began to form after the embankment collapsed and blocked the
Peace River. The water rose 30-40 ft. (9–12 m) creating a lake 20 mi. (32 km) long before starting to make channels
through the slide on the afternoon of May 27. No houses were endangered in the sparsely populated region.
At one point on May 27, the family-owned 10,000-ac. (4,000 ha) Tomkins Ranch, on the north bank of the
Peace River with the ranch house directly across the river from the slide, was threatened. Rancher Bill Tomkins said he
was concerned about 200 ac. (80 ha.) of bottomland and considered asking officials to “turn off” the Peace River’s
safety valve at the W.A.C. Bennett Dam, 35 mi. (56 km) upstream from the slide.
By nightfall, it was estimated that 50% of the water was getting through. The danger of the dam bursting and
flooding areas downstream passed at that time. A combination of factors probably averted a more serious disaster. The
heavy, deep clay soil of the region, ideal for grain, contains few rocks. After ending up in the middle of the Peace
River, it quickly turned into mud allowing to quickly forming new channels. Also, before the completion of the
W.A.C. Bennett Dam, the flow of the Peace River at runoff time would have been much higher. Now with BC Hydro’s
generators in operation, allows for an even, lower flow.
The Attachie Slide involved over 24 million m 3 of sediment. According to an RCMP officer at nearby
Hudson’s Hope, the slide “looked a lot like the Hope Slide (on the Hope-Princeton highway).” He said it took away a
2,000-ft. (600 m) slice of the riverbank at the junction of the Peace and Halfway rivers. The force of the slide hurled
trees across the river, a distance of about 500 yd. (450 m).
July 7, 1973
Event type: Severe erosion.
Precipitation: Not available.
Source: The Vancouver Sun, July 7 and 10, 1973 and June 14, 1974; The Province, August 7 and 10, 1973.
Around July 7, a combination of heavy rain and soft ground caused a washout on the BC Rail mainline 58
mi. (92.8 km) south of Fort Nelson. Repairs of the 250-ft. (75 m) section of track laid over earth fill were hampered by
continuous rain. Rail traffic was temporarily halted and repairs were not expected to be completed for two weeks.
The Fort Nelson area suffered a crippling blow to its economy when the BC Rail line was cut by the
washout. On July 9, Fort Nelson Forest Products was forced to lay off their 40-man nightshift. It was not until October
before the bridge across Fontas River could be replaced. During that period, no lumber shipments could be made by
rail. (The Vancouver Sun, June 14, 1974). Regional Board member Bob Angus said that the Fort Nelson Forest
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