HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia
HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia
extra span at an estimated cost of $615.64. Driftwood No. 2 Ref. No. 27 bridge had the fill under and around the east approach washed away by floodwater. The costs were estimated at $350.27. October 8-15, 1947 Event type: Flooding. Precipitation: Cape St. James (99.0 mm/4 days), October 8-11, 1947; Ocean Falls (201.1 mm/2 days), October 11-12, 1947; Prince Rupert (126.0 mm/4 days), October 11-14, 1947; Bella Coola (89.2 mm/2 days), October 12-13, 1947; Falls River (219.8 mm/4 days), October 12-15, 1947. Source: The Advertiser, October 22, 1947; The Daily News, October 14, 1947. Digby Island near Prince Rupert recorded 3.33 in. (84.6 mm) between October 11-13, and a southeast gale with gusts up to 38 mph (61.2 km/h). The Bella Coola area experienced 36 hours of heavy rain with a southwest gale and a midnight high tide. Thorsen Creek flooded, weakening the supports under the bridge. In South Bentick Arm, the Osborne Logging Co. had a bridge washed away. October 23-25, 1947 Event type: Severe wind storm. Precipitation: Cape St. James (36.3 mm/1 day), October 23, 1947; Falls River (69.9 mm/1 day), October 24, 1947; Terrace (62.5 mm/1 day), October 24, 1947; Bella Coola (116.8 mm/2 days), October 24-25, 1947; Kitimat Mission (119.6 mm/2 days), October 24-25, 1947. Source: The Advertiser, November 5, 1947; The Omineca Herald and Terrace News, October 29, 1947. Namu experienced 85-mph (136.8 km/h) gales, causing heavy property damage. *1) A boat was reported to have sunk, drowning four people. Another boat just managed to get around the point into Burke Channel and get on the beach in a sinking condition. Andy Schooner reported that shingles were torn off the roofs and corrugated iron “twisted like tarpaper.” ------------------------ *1) Namu means “Whirlwind Bay” in the local Indian language. November 1947 Event type: Rockslide. Precipitation: Not applicable. Source: Spooner et al. 1996; Evans (unpublished data). In November a slide occurred in Mess Creek upstream of its confluence with the Stikine River. The landslide in highly fractured bedrock completely dammed Mess Creek. At Telegraph Creek, the creek bed was reported dry. (Evans (unpublished data). *1) ------------------------ *1) Spooner et al. (1996) report oral accounts of the Stikine River flowing in the opposite direction for part of one day in the late summer of 1949, suggesting the Mess Creek landslide dam formed in November 1947 failed catastrophically in 1949 (Evans (unpublished data). Late December 1947- January 15, 1948 Event type: Snow avalanche and mudslide. Precipitation: Not applicable. Source: The Interior News, January 1, 8 and 15, 1948; April 15, 1948. Early January, snowslide came down between Terrace-Skeena City, 27 mi. (43.2 km) east of Prince Rupert. Unusually heavy snow during the previous weeks kept Public Works crews busy especially near Terrace. Around January 15, several feet of snow blocked the Skeena Highway between Amsbury-Kwinitsa. Due to the big task to keep this highway open, the road out of Prince Rupert and Terrace remained unplowed. *1) Once the logging roads near Terrace would be cleared it was expected that an attempt would be made to open the highway. Windfalls along the highway east of Terrace, especially between Usk-Dorreen, created serious additional problems for road clearing crews. Early January, a mud bank began to move slowly down onto the rail tracks near Walcott, a station on the CNR line between Telkwa-Houston. On January 7, an extra crew and a “ditcher” were sent to the scene. About 100 ft. (30 m) of high embankment was affected but trains were not delayed. Early April, district highways engineer J.C. Brady announced that providing there were no new slides, the highway would be open towards the end of April. By April 15, Terrace-based snow removal equipment was working west of Shames through frozen snow up to 7-8 ft. (2.1-2.4 m) deep. Prince Rupert-based crews were working eastward from Skeena. May 5, 1948 Event type: Spring runoff flooding. 48
Precipitation: Not applicable. Source: The Interior News, May 7, 1948. On May 5, a washout at Quick that blocked the Jasper to Prince Rupert rail line caused a considerable delay for the westbound train. May 16-18, 1948 Event type: Spring runoff flooding. Precipitation: Not applicable. Source: The Daily Colonist, May 20, 1948. On May 16, a flash flood washed out over Lower Rancheria River, between Watson Lake-Whitehorse, Y.T., closing the Alaska Highway. Eight sections of the 15-section span, 212-ft. (63.6 m) bridge were swept away in a flood during which the river rose over 10 ft. (3 m). An Army engineer expected to have the bridge rebuilt in about 10 days, hoping to reopen the highway by May 26. Around May 17-18, the Fraser River inundated low-lying land at Giscome, 25 mi. (40 km) east of Prince George. This was the first reported flooding for the 1948 spring runoff. The Fraser River at Prince George rose 14 in. (35 cm) in 36 hours. At Willow River nearby, workmen built a log diversion to protect a bridge on the main highway. May 25-June 10, 1948 Event type: Spring runoff flooding. Precipitation: Not applicable. Source: The Daily News, May 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 31, June 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12, 1948; The Interior News, May 27; June 3, 10, 17, and 24; July 15, 1948; The Province, May 31, 1981; Terrace Omineca Herald, June 3, 1964; Alaska Highway News, May 27 and June 3, 1948; The Daily Alaska Empire, May 25, 26, 27, and 29, June 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14 and 15, 1948; The Daily Colonist, July 8, 1948; The Weekend Sun, July 25, 1993; Environment Canada 1991; Hutchison 1950 (p. 319); Telegram, August 12, 1948, F. W. A. Mapleton (Telkwa Citizens Assn.) to Hon. E. Carson (Min. of Public Works). B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace; File 32-21-37 Letter, July 6, 1948, W. E. Bottomley (Ass. Dist. Eng. Smithers) to J. C. Brady (Dist. Eng. Prince Rupert). B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace File 35-41-10 Letter, May 30, 1949, W. E. Bottomley (Ass. Dist. Eng. Smithers) to H. W. Stevens (Dist. Eng. Prince Rupert). B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace; Special Warrant No. 4 Flood Control & Relief - Expenditures to March 31, 1949. B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace; File 2.30.0 Telegram, June 1, 1948, Hugh McDonald (Gen. Foreman Stewart) to J. C. Brady (Dist. Eng. Prince Rupert). B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highway, Terrace; File 2.40.0 Telegram, June 11, 1948, J. C. Brady to Hugh McDonald. B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace; File 2.30.0 Letter, April 27, 1949, R. H. Dunlop (Gen. Foreman Stewart) to J. W. Stevens (Dist. Eng. Prince Rupert). B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace). The 1948 spring runoff due to hot weather caused severe flood conditions in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and elsewhere. On May 31, Premier Byron Johnson declared a state of emergency. Military authorities were given the power to conscript citizens and requisition transport. By June 2, some 9,000 people in British Columbia were homeless as a result of flooding. Four thousand Canadian soldiers were involved in the rescue operations. The Fraser River inundated parts of Quesnel and Prince George. The Skeena and Bulkley rivers caused the “worst flood since ’36.” (The Interior News, May 27, 1948). Terrace was cut off from the outside world, after the highway and railroad links washed away. On May 25, the rail line between Hazelton-Prince Rupert was cut at Kitwanga, where 50 ft. (15 m) of roadbed washed out. At Kitwanga, an entirely new grade and track along a 1,200-ft. (360 m) long cutbank had to be built. The Northern Trans- Provincial Highway was also cut. The worst section was a 400-m stretch 1 mi. (1.6 km) west of Shames. At East Kwinitsa, just west of Little’s sawmill, the road was flooded with more than a foot (30 cm) of water. A small bridge at East Kwinitsa was afloat and in a dangerous condition. On May 26, the CNR reported five more washouts: at Usk, Pacific, Ritchie, and two near Dorreen. At various points there was water across the tracks and logs and debris were knocking down telegraph poles. The overall damage to the telegraph lines was worse than in 1936. In that year the flood hit only the Skeena River. In 1948, the flooding damage encompassed the Bulkley, Nechako, and Fraser rivers as well (The Daily News, May 31, 1948). About 1,000 ft. (300 m) of track washed out about 400 m west of Salvus. Just east of Terrace the Skeena River flooded the highway. District Engineer J.C. Brady ordered the highway closed. The residents of Braun’s Island, about a dozen families, were evacuated. The residents of Remo, Usk, and Pacific prepared to evacuate. The Skeena River at Usk recorded a maximum daily discharge of 9,340 m 3 /s on May 26 (Environment Canada 1991). It rose to a record level of 207 ft. (Terrace Omineca Herald). On May 27, the Skeena River, running 8 ft. (2.4 m) above normal, carried away a bridge and washed out 100 ft. (30 m) of railroad track at Salvus. On that day the Skeena River reached a higher level than that of the “big flood of 1936.” The level of the lower Skeena rose to 12 ft. (3.6 m) above its normal high water mark. Compared to the 1936 flood, the rise was not as sudden and the grade and tracks were in better shape. At Salvus, floodwaters in the station house of section foreman E.G. Storey reached the ceiling of the first floor. On May 27, all communications between 49
- Page 1 and 2: Flooding and Landslide Events North
- Page 3 and 4: 1 Introduction Weather is one of th
- Page 5 and 6: Precipitation: Port Simpson (198.4
- Page 7 and 8: In interviews conducted in 1985, Mo
- Page 9 and 10: 1989), which is about one third of
- Page 11 and 12: On December 9, Prince Rupert report
- Page 13 and 14: The flood indirectly damaged the Un
- Page 15 and 16: channel. This it obtains across the
- Page 17 and 18: Due to the heavy snowstorm in Stewa
- Page 19 and 20: oom on the top floor of the residen
- Page 21 and 22: *1) The highest mark recorded durin
- Page 23 and 24: the Royal Fish Co., moored at the d
- Page 25 and 26: Source: The Daily News, November 13
- Page 27 and 28: River after floodwaters completely
- Page 29 and 30: Around Smithers, several days of mi
- Page 31 and 32: Exceptionally heavy rains and wind
- Page 33 and 34: saved were the canned goods. Some f
- Page 35 and 36: Flood damage also occurred in the B
- Page 37 and 38: Muddy Gulch and the terminal, the B
- Page 39 and 40: ewildered with the speed with which
- Page 41 and 42: second pier and the span on the Haz
- Page 43 and 44: Source: The Interior News, March 8,
- Page 45 and 46: Ministry of Transportation and High
- Page 47: January 15-19, 1947 Event type: Sno
- Page 51 and 52: ft. (0.6-1.2 m). At Mile 62.5, wash
- Page 53 and 54: Precipitation: Not applicable. Sour
- Page 55 and 56: force. The storm with winds of 50-6
- Page 57 and 58: Source: The Interior News, December
- Page 59 and 60: December 8-10, 1951 Event type: Rai
- Page 61 and 62: Source: The Omineca Herald, August
- Page 63 and 64: October 11-16, 1954 Event type: Deb
- Page 65 and 66: October 5-14, 1955 Event type: Rock
- Page 67 and 68: Around 5 p.m. on October 14, a rock
- Page 69 and 70: CNR reported rock and snowslides at
- Page 71 and 72: was a contorted track over which a
- Page 73 and 74: The avalanche, which came down 500
- Page 75 and 76: levels. Forty feet (12 m) of riverb
- Page 77 and 78: Precipitation: Falls River (131.8 m
- Page 79 and 80: concentrated on the Bear River Pass
- Page 81 and 82: On February 5, three men narrowly e
- Page 83 and 84: October 15-17, 1962 Event type: Flo
- Page 85 and 86: Precipitation: Not applicable. Sour
- Page 87 and 88: Trailer Court were endangered. On J
- Page 89 and 90: Sweetin River crosses the forestry
- Page 91 and 92: During the spring, high water cause
- Page 93 and 94: Kitimat reported 10.7 in. (271.8 mm
- Page 95 and 96: On January 23, the Bella Coola Rive
- Page 97 and 98: (143.0 mm/2 days), October 22-23, 1
extra span at an estimated cost <strong>of</strong> $615.64. Driftwood No. 2 Ref. No. 27 bridge had the fill under and around the east<br />
approach washed away by floodwater. The costs were estimated at $350.27.<br />
October 8-15, 1947<br />
Event type: Flooding.<br />
Precipitation: Cape St. James (99.0 mm/4 days), October 8-11, 1947; Ocean Falls (201.1 mm/2 days), October 11-12,<br />
1947; Prince Rupert (126.0 mm/4 days), October 11-14, 1947; Bella Coola (89.2 mm/2 days), October 12-13, 1947;<br />
Falls River (219.8 mm/4 days), October 12-15, 1947.<br />
Source: The Advertiser, October 22, 1947; The Daily News, October 14, 1947.<br />
Digby Island near Prince Rupert recorded 3.33 in. (84.6 mm) between October 11-13, and a southeast gale<br />
with gusts up to 38 mph (61.2 km/h).<br />
The Bella Coola area experienced 36 hours <strong>of</strong> heavy rain with a southwest gale and a midnight high tide.<br />
Thorsen Creek flooded, weakening the supports under the bridge. In South Bentick Arm, the Osborne Logging Co.<br />
had a bridge washed away.<br />
October 23-25, 1947<br />
Event type: Severe wind storm.<br />
Precipitation: Cape St. James (36.3 mm/1 day), October 23, 1947; Falls River (69.9 mm/1 day), October 24, 1947;<br />
Terrace (62.5 mm/1 day), October 24, 1947; Bella Coola (116.8 mm/2 days), October 24-25, 1947; Kitimat Mission<br />
(119.6 mm/2 days), October 24-25, 1947.<br />
Source: The Advertiser, November 5, 1947; The Omineca Herald and Terrace News, October 29, 1947.<br />
Namu experienced 85-mph (136.8 km/h) gales, causing heavy property damage. *1) A boat was reported to<br />
have sunk, drowning four people. Another boat just managed to get around the point into Burke Channel and get on<br />
the beach in a sinking condition. Andy Schooner reported that shingles were torn <strong>of</strong>f the ro<strong>of</strong>s and corrugated iron<br />
“twisted like tarpaper.”<br />
------------------------<br />
*1) Namu means “Whirlwind Bay” in the local Indian language.<br />
November 1947<br />
Event type: Rockslide.<br />
Precipitation: Not applicable.<br />
Source: Spooner et al. 1996; Evans (unpublished data).<br />
In November a slide occurred in Mess Creek upstream <strong>of</strong> its confluence with the Stikine River. The landslide<br />
in highly fractured bedrock completely dammed Mess Creek. At Telegraph Creek, the creek bed was reported dry.<br />
(Evans (unpublished data). *1)<br />
------------------------<br />
*1) Spooner et al. (1996) report oral accounts <strong>of</strong> the Stikine River flowing in the opposite direction for part <strong>of</strong> one day<br />
in the late summer <strong>of</strong> 1949, suggesting the Mess Creek landslide dam formed in November 1947 failed catastrophically<br />
in 1949 (Evans (unpublished data).<br />
Late December 1947- January 15, 1948<br />
Event type: Snow avalanche and mudslide.<br />
Precipitation: Not applicable.<br />
Source: The Interior News, January 1, 8 and 15, 1948; April 15, 1948.<br />
Early January, snowslide came down between Terrace-Skeena City, 27 mi. (43.2 km) east <strong>of</strong> Prince Rupert.<br />
Unusually heavy snow during the previous weeks kept Public Works crews busy especially near Terrace.<br />
Around January 15, several feet <strong>of</strong> snow blocked the Skeena Highway between Amsbury-Kwinitsa. Due to the big task<br />
to keep this highway open, the road out <strong>of</strong> Prince Rupert and Terrace remained unplowed. *1)<br />
Once the logging roads near Terrace would be cleared it was expected that an attempt would be made to open<br />
the highway. Windfalls along the highway east <strong>of</strong> Terrace, especially between Usk-Dorreen, created serious additional<br />
problems for road clearing crews.<br />
Early January, a mud bank began to move slowly down onto the rail tracks near Walcott, a station on the<br />
CNR line between Telkwa-Houston. On January 7, an extra crew and a “ditcher” were sent to the scene. About 100 ft.<br />
(30 m) <strong>of</strong> high embankment was affected but trains were not delayed.<br />
Early April, district highways engineer J.C. Brady announced that providing there were no new slides, the<br />
highway would be open towards the end <strong>of</strong> April. By April 15, Terrace-based snow removal equipment was working<br />
west <strong>of</strong> Shames through frozen snow up to 7-8 ft. (2.1-2.4 m) deep. Prince Rupert-based crews were working eastward<br />
from Skeena.<br />
May 5, 1948<br />
Event type: Spring run<strong>of</strong>f flooding.<br />
48