HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

Bulkley Canyon a mudslide occurred. In New Hazelton, Five Mile Creek flooded, inundating cellars and yards on 9th
and 11th avenues. *2) Wires of the Government Telegraph Line came down in several locations. Some stores were
running low on food staples.
The storm that dumped 9 in. (228.6 mm) of rain in 24 hours on Ocean Falls raised the water levels in the lake
by 9 ft. (2.7 m).
On the Queen Charlotte Islands, most of the plank road between Port Clements-Tl-Ell (Tlell) was under
water, raising the Kumdis bridge by 2 ft. (60 cm). On a stretch several miles long, the water flowed over the road in
the low-lying areas. A landslide occurred at Lawn Hill.
The Department of Public Works reported damage to the following bridges: Pine Creek bridge, Aveling Coal
Mine bridge on the Telkwa River, Goat Creek bridge, Kitsequecla bridge, Copper River Slough bridge, some small
bridges at Kitwanga and Remo, and bridges across Douglas Creek, Hall Creek and Marroon Creek near Rosswood at
the head of Kitsumkalum Road north of Terrace. Crews saved the Bulkley River bridges at Smithers and Hazelton,
despite drift striking the lower parts of the bridges. The Hazelton Ferry No. 80 was damaged. The towers that were
built in 1920 were reset in 1936. The Remo ferry broke its main cable. It cut from its moorings and was carried down
river, reportedly hanging up on an island below Shames.
Roadbeds were damaged at Kitsequecla and at Glacier Creek. At Kitsequecla, a “gumbo” slide filled
sections of road extending over 0.75 mi. (1.2 km). Over 1 mi. (1.6 km) of new road was required at Kitsequecla. The
Kitsequecla bridge, a 60-ft. (18 m) King Truss with eight bays of trestles, went out. The complete bridge, including
piers and abutments, was taken out by a debris jam. *3) The main channel changed to the south side. The bridge had
just been rebuilt after a previous washout. The road below Skeena Crossing, which had recently been cleared, was
badly damaged and made impassable by many slides. At least two bridges on Tee Creek at Kitwanga went out.
Hannall near Usk sustained heavy damage resulting from washouts, and the Lowry Creek bridge washed out.
West of Usk Edgar Creek cut a new channel across the road, leaving the bridge dry. A big channel was cut
in the Copper River Slough, discharging about half of the Copper River. The recently completed dam at its mouth was
completely gone. Considerable damage occurred on the Lakelse Lake Road, especially towards the hot springs. The
bridge to Lot 3993 at the island at Vanarsdol went out. The Kitsumkalum Road sustained considerable damage around
Mile 14-16. Pontoon bridge and three or four bridges went out. All bridges around Remo suffered some damage.
North of Hazelton, the Telegraph Trail sustained damage between the First-Sixth Cabin, approximately 30-
145 mi. (48-232 km) north of Hazelton. Six of the eight bridges went out. The repair cost was estimated at $7,500-
10,000.
Trout Creek changed its course and cut across the road, leaving the bridge dry. A long stretch of road
slipped into Toboggan Creek. Several washouts occurred on the road between Smithers-Hazelton, closing the road for
about two weeks. Most of the damage occurred in the Doughty area. The approaches to the bridge at Doughty washed
away.
The Dolly Varden Railway trail, which had just been upgraded at a cost of $7,000, sustained heavy damage.
The cost to repair the damage was estimated at $15,000. At Alice Arm, emergency repairs had to be made to the rock
retaining wall, which protects the town streets, and suspension bridge.
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*1) Lloyd Johnstone ranked the four highest water levels in Lakelse Lake during this century as follows (starting with
the highest): 1935, 1978, 1992, and 1958. With the exception of the 1958 flood, these were all rain-on-snow events (L.
Johnstone, pers. comm.).
*2) Five Mile Creek could not handle all the water. The railroad had diverted water from Mission Creek to Five Mile
Creek to serve the water tower at the station.
*3) Native Indians of the Kitsequecla Village built a temporary bridge soon after the old one went out. In 1938, a
concrete abutment and the bents for the pile trestle approach for the new Kitsequecla Bridge No. 61 were put in.
Because of the lack of funding, the construction did not continue until the early 1940s.
November 5-8, 1935
Event type: Rain-on snow flooding.
Precipitation: Prince Rupert (138.7 mm/3 days), November 5-7, 1935; Terrace (52.6 mm/3 days), November 5-7, 1935;
Aiyansh (34.5 mm/1 day), November 6, 1935; Swanson Bay (58.4 mm/1 day), November 7, 1935; Ocean Falls (129.3
mm/1 day), November 7, 1935; Falls River (96.3 mm/2 days), November 7-8, 1935; Namu (116.9 mm/2 days),
November 7-8, 1935.
Source: Evening Empire, November 7, 8 and 9, 1935; The Daily News, November 7, 9 and 12, 1935; The Terrace
News, November 13, 1935; The Omineca Herald, November 6, 1935; Dept. of Public Works Report of repairs caused
by flood damage (Port Clements). B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace; Dept. File, 3 PWM 1035
Quarterly Report April 1-December 1, 1935. Skeena Dist. B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace;
Letter, November 1, 1935, W. H. Cotton (Ass. Dist. Eng. Smithers) to J. C. Brady (Dist. Eng. Prince Rupert) Dept. File
5639, B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace.
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