HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

On November 22, a derailment occurred at Mile 43 at the portal of the tunnel just east of New Hazelton. A
ditcher was knocked off a flatcar, killing fireman W.J. Smith and injuring engineer G.H. Mogden. Both men were
from Smithers. They were returning from clearing a slide on the main line in the Bulkley Canyon. The westbound
passenger train was delayed for seven hours. The rail line reopened on November 25 after a two-day closure.
On November 24, the Skeena River was reported to be at the June flood level. The Kispiox and Bulkley
rivers reached high water levels. Two small 20-ft. (6 m) long bridges over the Kispiox River washed out and had to be
replaced. A family at Mile 22 along the Kispiox River had to be evacuated because of the high water and some farm
animals were lost. On November 25, the Bulkley River at Quick recorded a maximum daily discharge of 575 m 3 /s
(Environment Canada 1991).
In the Kalum District, roads and bridges were damaged. The Kalum Lake Road sustained heavy damage.
Glacier Creek had dammed up and flooded the road at Mile 14. The road between Mile 14-Mile 16 was almost
impassable.
Kitsequecla bridge No. 61 was undermined again after temporary repairs had been made two weeks previous.
The cost to replace Clear Creek bridge, which went out, was estimated at $250; the replacement cost of Cedar River
bridge was estimated at $7,000-8,000. The Douglas Creek bridge No. 31 had to be rebuilt. Hall Creek bridge No. 173,
with one end floating, was expected to go out with the next high water. The cutbank on the west side of Whiskey
Creek was completely washed out. The road between Nash-Skeena Crossing was blocked. The cribbing at Porphyry
Creek caved in. The filling was expected to take four to five days (A.A. McLean).
In the Smithers-Telkwa area, some slides occurred on the Aveling Coal Road. The Telkwa River changed its
course, requiring another 150 ft. (45 m) of cribbing. At the Smithers bridge about 600 lineal ft. (180 m) of cribbing
was required on the Bulkley Hill on the Telkwa side across the river.
--------------------------
*1) In November 1933, Terrace had an all-time record rainfall to date of 25.53 in. (648.5 mm) (The Daily News,
December 2, 1933).
November 23-December 2, 1933
Event type: Flooding and snow avalanches.
Precipitation: Falls River (385.9 mm/9 days), November 23-December 1, 1933; Kitimat Mission (447.2 mm/10 days),
November 23-December 2, 1933; Ocean Falls (145.3 mm/1 day), November 29, 1933; Swanson Bay (336.5 mm/3
days), November 29-December 1, 1933; Kitimat Mission (343.0 mm/5 days), November 29-December 2, 1933;
Aiyansh (43.2 mm/1 day), November 30, 1933; Terrace (187.7 mm/2 days), November 30-December 1, 1933; Falls
River (187.4 mm/2 days), November 30-December 1, 1933; Terrace (116.0 mm/1 day), December 1, 1933.
Source: The Terrace News, December 6, 1933; The Omineca Herald, November 29 and December 6, 1933; The Daily
News, December 1 and 2, 1933; Evening Empire, November 28 and 30, December 1 and 2, 1933.
Heavy rain occurred all along the coast with unusual stormy weather on the Queen Charlotte Islands and
snowstorms in Stewart and Anyox. The S.S. Catala reported experiencing squally weather all the way north. The
winds were particularly strong on the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands. The vessel Beatrice H on her regular
weekly trip had difficulty reaching the mining camps.
Prince Rupert reported a record rainfall of 25.53 in. (648.5 mm) for November; Terrace received 15 in.
(381.0 mm) during that month.
The heavy rain caused flooding and property damage in the Terrace area. The Thornhill bridge on the
Lakelse Road was flooded. A slide on the hill on Remo Road buried about half an acre of cultivated land on the Joe
Cook Ranch. In Terrace, a plugged culvert on Lakelse Avenue caused the municipal reservoir to overflow and flood
the street near the Public Works garage. The basement of the Philbert Hotel was flooded with 4 ft. (1.2 m) of water.
On December 1, the telegraph lines east and west of Terrace and also the Anyox line went down, cutting the
telegraphic communications. Lines were still down on December 2. A small culvert on the Kispiox road got plugged
and flooded the road.
On the rail line between Prince Rupert-Terrace, an eastbound train from Prince Rupert was delayed due to
slide conditions on the lower Skeena River. On December 1, snowslides were reported on the line at Kwinitsa. The
rail traffic was reported back to normal on December 2.
December 18-20, 1933
Event type: Icejam flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Vancouver Daily Province, December 20, 1933.
Overnight December 18-19, an icejam on the Nechako River caused the river to overflow in a number of
places. Near Prince George, the CNR rail yard was flooded with 2 ft. (60 cm) of water and sections of roadbed washed
out. The heavy ice created a dam near the mouth of the Nechako River. A number of families living in what was
known as the railway cache, between the railway yards and the river, were marooned. The water rose so rapidly that
their escape was cut off. A woman was marooned on the upper floor of a farmhouse on the north bank of the Nechako
26