HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

channel. This it obtains across the Nechaco Flats and round Connaught Park hill, falling back into the main channel below
the Hudson’s Bay quarters (Prince George Citizen, November 29; December 2, 1921).
Late December- early January 1918
Event type: Fatal snow avalanche.
Precipitation: Queen Charlotte City (86.9 mm/1 day), December 26, 1917.
Source: The Daily News, December 27, 28, 29 and 31, 1917; January 2, 3, 4 and 5, 1918; The British Columbian,
December 31, 1917.
On December 27, the westbound train into Prince Rupert was delayed by half a day. Downed wires
interrupted the telegraph service. On December 31 a slide at Kwinitsa interrupted the telegraph service and train traffic.
The regular train service was interrupted until January 5, 1918.
On the morning of December 28, a snowslide killed two men, employees of the New Hazelton Gold Cobalt
Company of Vancouver. The victims were on their way up the Rocher de Boule mountain to work.
Late December-early January avalanches between Prince Rupert-Terrace blocked the rail line and cut the
telegraph wires. The westbound train scheduled to arrive in Prince Rupert on the evening of December 30 was
cancelled. On January 2, slides still blocked the rail line. It was difficult to clear the track at Kwinitsa and with the
telegraph lines down as well, there was little information on the situation. The slides were greater than first expected
and the difficulties to get the telegraph wires through were “considerable.” On January 4, the tracks were cleared again
and some rail traffic resumed.
Late summer 1918
Event type: Glacial outburst flood.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Dawson 1889; Kerr 1948.
A glacial outburst flood from Flood Glacier was reported to have taken place during the late summer, raising
the Stikine River from a low stage to a half flood. The flood was caused by the sudden discharge of the waters of
Flood Lake. *1) This ice-dammed body of water was about 2 mi. (3.2 km) long and occupied a tributary valley from
which the tributary glacier had melted away (Kerr 1948).
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*1) Before 1918, these floods occurred almost annually (Dawson 1889). Lack of floods in more recent years is
probably due to the formation of a high-level outlet that keeps the pressure down (Kerr 1948).
January 1919
Event type: Icejam flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Interior News, February 1, 1919; Bourgon 1979.
Around January 1919, ice in the Bulkley River jammed at the turn near the bridge at Hubert, just east of
Telkwa. The backed-up water flooded the flats upstream and thin layers of ice were deposited. One chunk of ice as
big as a house was in one of the fields until haying season (Bourgon 1979). The icejam also took out two spans of the
bridge across the Bulkley River at Hubert.
The business section along the river at Telkwa was also flooded. A photograph taken later in the winter of
1919 shows the road along the river littered with chunks of ice.
Late May-early June 1920
Event type: Spring runoff flooding?
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Prince George Citizen, May 31, 1945.
In 1920, heavy winter snows, late spring, little April-May runoff, warm days and nights in late May and
June, accompanied by heavy thunderstorms built up water levels to danger points (Prince George Citizen, May 31,
1945).
August 5-6, 1920
Event type: Flooding.
Precipitation: Stewart (136.2 mm/2 days), August 5-6, 1917.
Source: Portland Canal News, August 7 and 14, 1920.
On August 5, the heavy rains of the previous few days interfered considerably with development and
prospecting near Stewart. The Bear River and its tributaries overflowed their banks. Roads and trails up the Bear and
Salmon valleys became almost impassable. The main wagon bridge a mile (1.6 km) above Stewart was damaged by
high water. Reports from Prince Rupert indicate that the storm was general.
August 12-13, 1920
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