HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

West of Terrace, unusually heavy snow caused an avalanche at the “well known slide area” just west of
Kwinitsa. On the early afternoon of December 13, a 150-ft. (45 m) long slide came down. That night’s eastbound
passenger train was held at Prince Rupert. It also delayed the arrival of the westbound train at Prince Rupert on
December 14.
January 3-7, 1949
Event type: Snow avalanches and debris slides.
Precipitation: Falls River (171.7 mm/3 days), January 3-5, 1949; Bella Coola (85.1 mm/2 days), January 5-6, 1949.
Source: The Interior News, January 13, 1949; The Daily News, January 5, 6 and 7, 1949; The Advertiser, January 15,
1949.
Mild weather caused a series of slides near Kwinitsa. On January 5, three snow and debris slides came down
within a distance of 800 ft. (240 m), 7 mi. (11.2 km) east of Kwinitsa. Two slides occurred near Mile 76, measuring
lengths of 50 ft. (15 m) and 100 ft. (30 m), respectively. A rotary plow cleared the tracks on January 5. On January 6,
a passenger train hit a series of slides 7 mi. (11.2 km) east of Kwinitsa. One slide was 600 ft. (180 m) long and 25 ft.
(7.5 m) deep. On January 6, the train was delayed 20 hours and 4.5 hours on January 8. The slides also cut the
telephone and telegraph communications. Damage to the landlines at Kwinitsa and further east was fairly widespread.
Service was restored on January 7. Snow damage occurred between Woodcock-Burns Lake. Deep snow hampered the
repair work.
Near Prince Rupert, the Skeena highway was blocked beyond the far end of Prudhomme Lake. The road
between Terrace-Tyee had been blocked for some weeks. District engineer H.W. Stevens hoped to open the road over
the divide again as far as Tyee.
On January 6-7, Smithers reported heavy wet snow. The Smithers airport recorded 8.5 in. (21.6 cm) of snow.
Minor breaks in the telegraph and telephone lines were reported as far east as Burns Lake, a result of the heavy
snowfall on January 6.
In the Bella Coola area, the violent storm on January 6 melted snow and made roads impassable.
February 1949
Event type: Snow avalanches.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Interior News, February 10 and 24, 1949; March 3, 1949; The Daily News, February 22, 1949.
Early February “worst snow conditions in 35 years” tied up train service between Terrace-Prince Rupert.
Continuous slides and drifting held up normal traffic for a month or more. In the 20-km Kwinitsa slide area, slides
came down almost continuously since heavy snow fell early in the winter. Train service was restored and then
suspended again for an indefinite period.
The sudden arrival of warm weather caused problems in the lower Skeena valley. Because of the hazards
along the Terrace to Prince Rupert rail line only the bare essentials were accepted. With deteriorating conditions, an
embargo on railway traffic was declared (The Daily News, February 22, 1949). At the end of February-early March,
train service was restored. Conditions were far from normal. Small slides continued to come down between Kwinitsa-
Salvus.
Early May 1949
Event type: Spring runoff flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Interior News, May 12, 1949.
During the second week of May, several days of warm weather caused rivers to rise. The Kitsequecla and
Skeena rivers were reported to be “roaring torrents.” Residents of the lower Skeena feared a repetition of the previous
year’s flood. At Telkwa, the Telkwa and Bulkley rivers rose “quite noticeably.” The old road at “Spud”Murphy Hill
was reported under 2 ft. (60 cm) of water.
Late summer 1949
Event type: Landslide dam failure.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Spooner et al. 1996; Evans (unpublished data).
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. The river was a deep brown colour and was choked with vegetation debris. These
observations are somewhat sketchy but do suggest that the Mess Creek landslide dam formed in November 1947 failed
catastrophically in 1949, releasing a large volume of water into the Stikine River, some of which traveled upstream.
(Evans).
September 1949
Event type: Rockslide.
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