HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

On October 13, heavy rain and a gale averaging 34 mph (54.7 km/h) with around 9 p.m. gusts up to 42 mph
(67.7 km/h) caused heavy damage. In the Prince Rupert area, the roof of the Valentin Dairy was blown off and the roof
Malkin’s warehouse on the waterfront was damaged. Many windows were blown in and several chimneys were
damaged. The interior also received heavy rain. The heavy rains of the previous week brought rivers to flood levels.
Hanson Co.’s boom at Nass broke around October 14, causing a heavy loss as some 2,000 poles went down the river.
On the morning of October 14, the Skeena River rose to within the 1945-spring high water mark. Homes and property
near Kalum Lake and Lakelse Lake were endangered by the high water. Pete Johnson’s cabin at Kalum Lake and the
Little, Haughland & Kerr mill at 17 Mile were flooded. On Lakelse Lake many rowboats broke away.
Train traffic and telegraph communications between Prince Rupert-Terrace were interrupted. East of
Shames, a slide came down across the tracks and a section of track was flooded for some time. The slide, which did
not affect the highway, was cleared on October 16. The slide near Amsbury measured a length of 1,000 ft. (300 m)
and a depth of 12 ft. (3.6 m). The slide was described as “a grand mixture of huge rocks, dirt and many trees.” The
train traffic resumed on October 16.
The heavy rain on October 13-14 caused considerable damage on the Northern Trans-Provincial Highway
between Amsbury-Kitwanga, especially in the Cedarvale section. At Amsbury, the creek gauged out a channel in the
mountainside approximately 100 ft. (30 m) wide and 30 ft. (9 m) deep. The bridge was completely washed out, except
for the crib abutments. On the east side of the bridge there were about 2,000 + ft. 3 (56.6 m 3 ) of boulders on the road.
The slide measured a width of 250 ft. (75 m) and a depth of 15 ft. (4.5 m). The Amsbury slide section was expected to
reopen on October 24. On the Pacific to Kitwanga section, two bridges were damaged and later reopened for light
traffic. The Coyote Creek bridge had 8 ft. (2.4 m) of the approach on each side washed away. Driftwood and boulders
had jammed between the pile bents, washing out the approach fills. The bridge was replaced on October 30.
The Boulder Creek bridge, the new trestle bridge east of Cedarvale, was undermined to a dangerous state for
heavy traffic. The traffic was rerouted via the old bridge upstream. The bridge at Price Creek had a heavy pile-up of
driftwood but did not sustain any damage. Lowrie No. 262 Bridge No. 2 near Usk and on the north side of the river
washed out. Lorne Creek bridge No. 323 washed out on one end. The damage was estimated at $10,000. The
highway was reopened on October 27 after the Kitwanga to Terrace section of the highway was reopened for light
traffic on October 22. The estimated cost only to open the roads damaged during the October 13-15 storm was $2,195.
In the Stewart-Portland Canal area, the peak of the storm occurred on October 13. The storm was described
as the “worst storm we have ever seen in the Portland Canal District.” F.N. Good wrote in his report, “...this flood
comes into the hundred year class and it is unlikely that such conditions will be experienced in the near future.” The
Bear and Salmon rivers flooded in many places. Bitter Creek went on the rampage, taking out the Bitter Creek bridge
completely. The distance between the north and south bank increased to 200 ft. (60 m). A temporary crossing was put
in across Bitter Creek. The estimated cost for a new bridge was $5,000. The Stewart Cemetery was flooded and part
of it covered with debris and large rocks up to 4 ft. (1.2 m) deep. A large washout occurred on the Bear-Naas (Nass)
Trail between the end of the road and the first relief camp. The Power Company plant at Barney’s Gulch was put out
of commission. The flume was completely carried away by the same stream that covered the cemetery with the debris.
The steel tower on the Prosperity Tram was carried downstream Marmot River for 4 mi. (6.4 km).
The Weather Bureau in Juneau, Alaska, recorded 3.3 in. (83.8 mm) of rain. *1) The Juneau airport reported
2.81 in. (71.4 mm) during the same period. Gale-force winds of 40 mph (64 km/h), with gusts of 50 mph (80 km/h),
caused several craft to break their mooring lines within the Juneau Small Boat Harbour. The Alaska Game
Commission’s seaplane hangar was overturned when the mooring piles gave way. The troller Bird, owned by Peter
Willis, was lost 2 mi. (3.2 km) southwest of Marmion Island on October 12.
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*1) This was the second highest precipitation total for any 24-hour period since 1913 when 3.50 in. (88.9 mm) was
recorded.
November 2-3, 1945
Event type: Rain-on-snow flooding.
Precipitation: Aiyansh (67.6 mm/1 day), November 2, 1945; Terrace (94.5 mm/1 day), November 2, 1945; Prince
Rupert (69.1 mm/1 day), November 2, 1945; Kitimat Mission (72.6 mm/1 day), November 2, 1945; Smithers (50.8
mm/1 day), November 2, 1945; Smithers A (70.4 mm/2 days), November 2-3, 1945; Falls River (120.2 mm/2 days),
November 2-3, 1945; Ocean Falls (163.1 mm/2 days), November 2-3, 1945.
Source: The Omineca Herald and Terrace News, November 7 and 21, December 5, 1945; The Daily News, November
3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21 and 26, December 3 and 12, 1945; The Evening Empire, November 3, 5, 7 and 9,
1945; The Interior News, November 8, 1945; The Daily Alaska Empire, November 5, 1945; File 32-20-99 Letter,
November 19, 1945, Dist. Eng. Prince Rupert to Chief Eng. Victoria. B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways,
Terrace; File 32-41-10 Letters, November 23, 26, 1945, W. R. Workman (Ass. Dist. Eng. Smithers) to J. C. Brady
(Dist. Eng. Prince Rupert). B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highway, Terrace; Telegram, November 5, 1945, J. C.
Brady to Chief Eng. B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace; Telegram, November 10, 1945, Chief
Eng. to J. C. Brady. B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace; File 32.20.99 Northern Trans-Provincial
Highway - General: Telegrams, November 20, 23, 1945, W. R. Workman (Ass. Dist. Eng.) to J. C. Brady. B.C.
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