HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

mm). The highest month of precipitation was in May 1948 with 7.32 in. (185.9 mm) (The Interior News, January 3,
1957).
April 30, 1957
Event type: Landslide
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: The Interior News, May 2, 1957.
On April 30, a slide occurred on a side hill along the rail line 4 mi. (6.4 km) east of Moricetown. Fill
saturated from spring runoff slid out from underneath the track. The roadbed slid downhill, leaving a gap
approximately 40 ft. (12 m) long and 30 ft. (9 m) deep. The slide delayed the eastbound passenger train for 24 hours.
May 18-20, 1957
Event type: Spring runoff flooding.
Precipitation: Not available.
Source: The Interior News, May 23, 1957.
On May 18-19, heavy prolonged rain and melting of high-level snow caused flooding and washouts in the
Smithers area. Washed our roads and bridges disrupted traffic on Highway 16 east and west of Smithers. District side
roads also suffered with bridges and culverts reported out on the Smithers-Babine Lake Road and Driftwood Creek
Road. Babine Road was closed to traffic. Near Perow, the approach to the Lund Creek bridge washed out on May 19.
Following temporary repairs, traffic was able to get through. The bridge at Harvey Ranch on Driftwood Creek and the
Chapman Lake bridge on Babine Road washed out.
On May 20, further damage resulted into further disruption of traffic. Highway 16 between Smithers-Prince
Rupert washed out in at least 10 places, six of which between Terrace-Prince Rupert. Smaller cars were unable to get
through to Terrace from Smithers due to washouts with up to 2.5 ft. (75 cm) of water flowing across the highway near
Usk and Cedarvale.
For a time, the Bulkley and Telkwa rivers threatened to flood a road at Telkwa. The rainfall stopped on May
19. By the afternoon of May 20, the water level at Telkwa had dropped 6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m). Debris drifting down the
Bulkley River threatened to take out the temporary piling for the new bridge at Telkwa. *1) Though the structure was
damaged, little disruption was expected on further work on the bridge.
Around May 19, a 200-ft. (60 m) stretch of newly built rail line toppled into the Peace River near Taylor.
Apparently undermined by high water, a 100 ac. (40 ha) area of land collapsed, destroying a section of grade and
blocking the road for a distance of 1,000 ft. (300 m). According to construction officials, the line could not be fully
restored until the ground would have settled.
----------------------
*1) During the winter 1956-57, drifting ice had taken out the temporary structure. (The Interior News, May 23, 1957)
October 16, 1957
Event type: Severe scour.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Prince George Citizen, October 18, 1957; Kelsey 1958 (p. 86); Cohen 1992 (pp. 72-75).
In October 16, the north end of the Peace River bridge at Taylor Flats just south of Fort St. John collapsed. *1) The
northern span of the multi-million dollar bridge tore from its moorings and crashed into the river. The centre portion of the
collapsed span was badly warped out of shape. A sag in the 930-ft. centre span of the two-lane bridge aroused fears that it
also could drop into the Peace River. Possible causes were give as a shift in the shale bed of the river or due to the intensive
industrial traffic. The oil industry was one of those most acutely affected by the bridge’s collapse.
Earlier in 1957, a water line, which was strung underneath the structure, ruptured sending high-pressure water into
the river. This scoured out gravel once again from beneath the north abutment. *2)
---------------------------
*1) This bridge, completed in August 1943, was the longest bridge on the Alaska Highway, at 2,130 feet (639 m) costing
approximately $3.5 million. Because of the importance of the bridge, after the collapse the government of British Columbia
rushed another, more substantial structure to completion in January 1960 (Cohen 1992).
*2) Early in 1948, it was discovered that scouring water undermined the north pier of the bridge making immediate
repairs necessary (Cohen 1992).
November 2-4, 1957
Event type: Rockslides and snow avalanches.
Precipitation: Prince Rupert (93.2 mm/3 days), November 2-4, 1957.
Source: Prince Rupert Daily News, November 2 and 4, 1957; Terrace Omineca Herald, November 7, 1957; J.
Mekechuck, pers. comm. 1989. CN Railway, Edmonton, Alta.
68