HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Precipitation: Bella Coola (135.6 mm/4 days), March 7-10, 1916.
Source: Bella Coola Courier, March 11, 1916; MacKellar, J. 1963. Ocean Falls. PABC, MSS 2173, Vol. 1, folder 1,
Provincial Archives Victoria, B.C.
The Bella Coola area experienced heavy rain followed by 8 in. (20.3 cm) of snow. The telegraph and
telephone lines in the valley were down for several days.
On March 6 and 7, Ocean Falls reported heavy snowstorms. On March 7, there was about 18 to 20 in. (45.7
to 50.8 cm) of snow on the ground. The bad weather continued on March 8 and on March 9 the steamer Camosun was
reported in trouble near Prince Rupert (MacKellar 1963).
June 1916
Event type: Spring runoff flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Omineca Herald, June 23, 1916; The Interior News, June 24, 1916; Asante 1972 (p. 174); Dr. A.S.
Gottesfeld, pers. comm. June 1, 1994.
The Skeena River water level rose dramatically during the spring runoff (Asante 1972). Warm temperatures
caused the high water levels.
In interviews conducted in 1985, Moricetown residents Emma Michell and Jenny Naziel remembered a
severe flood hitting Moricetown. The flood removed all the structures on the lower terrace. The floodwaters swept
behind Louie Tommy’s smokehouse right through the gully called “stoop” and removed all the smokehouses. This
event was estimated to have happened between 1914-1918. (Gottesfeld, pers. comm.). It is possible that this reported
flood actually happened during June 1916.
The warm weather also caused a sudden rise in the waters of the Telkwa and Bulkley rivers. For several
days a flood was feared. The Telkwa River went on a rampage at its mouth and cut a new channel under the
government bridge. One of the bents of the Telkwa River bridge washed out around June 20. One span of the long
bridge was carried away and the traffic over the short road was suspended.
Late March 1917
Event type: Non-fatal avalanche.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Daily Province, March 30, 1917.
A snowslide near the mouth of the Rocher de Boule mine near Hazelton buried three women, including the
wife of the mine’s superintendent. They were swept many feet under a “great volume of snow and completely
disappeared.” Mine employees “made record time in digging out the women who were nearly smothered.”
October 1-5, 1917
Event type: Rain-on-snow flooding.
Precipitation: Ikeda Bay (169.7 mm/3 days), October 1-3, 1917; Bella Coola (55.6 mm/1 day), October 2, 1917;
Stewart (158.9 mm/4 days), October 2-5, 1917.
Source: The Evening Empire, October 2, 3 and 4, 1917; The Daily Province, October 22, 1917; The Vancouver Daily
Sun, October 23, 1917; Kopas 1970 (p. 266); Provincial Archives Microfilm B-1918 Letter, October 10, 1917. Indian
Agent (Bella Coola) to Dept. of Indian Affairs. Provincial Archives, Victoria; File G-0-3 Letter, March 9, 1936. J. C.
Brady (Dist. Eng. Prince Rupert) to A. Dixon (Chief Engineer Victoria). B.C. Ministry of Transportation and
Highways, Terrace, B.C.
Between October 2-4, severe weather was reported in Hecate Strait and beyond, hampering the halibut
fishing. On October 2, a gale blew in a plate glass window in the former Acme premises on 2 nd Avenue, Prince
Rupert. Railway track damaged near Tyee by the recent storms caused the westbound train to arrive four hours late in
Prince Rupert.
The Bella Coola valley was struck by flooding. One bridge about 3 mi. (4.8 km) up the Bella Coola River
and several smaller ones further up the river were washed away. According to Kopas (1970), floodwaters took out the
Four Mile bridge. Iver Fourgner, Indian Agent at Bella Coola noted, “ The greatest damage done was by a tributary
stream the Necleetscunny (Neeleetsconnoy), which overflowed its banks due to the destruction of a wingdam and
flooded the townsite. Two stores, the Hospital, schoolhouse, Indian Agent’s office and other buildings were damaged
slightly, and water covered all ground floors. Some foundations were weakened. The provincial road was destroyed
and turned into a riverbed.”
The Indian Agent in Bella Coola described the situation in a letter this way: “Several days of incessant rain
with warm westerly winds melting the snow in the mountains. Bella Coola on October 2 experienced the worst flood
in its [23-year] history. As a result a dam was carried away in the Neeleetsconnoy River, and at 6:00 p.m. the agency
grounds were covered with swift flowing water, tearing down fences and filling our basement with more than 4 ft. (1.2
m) of water. No human lives were lost but many animals [were]. Great damage was done to roads and bridges....”
The expenditures for the Bella Coola Valley roads for 1917 were $1,001.50 for labour and $33.35 for material (J.C.
Brady 1936).
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