HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

The avalanche, which came down 500 yd. (450 m) from the company’s mill, covered 75 ft. (22.5 m) of track.
It contained wet snow mixed with rock and appeared to be the result of high temperatures and snowmelt. The slide ran
over a width of about 30 m and deposited debris to a maximum depth of 5 m in the snowshed. About 12 m of
snowshed was destroyed. in March, a total snowfall of 3.6 m, accompanied by some rain, was reported at the mine site.
Because of the heavy snow in the area, the site was very prone to slides.
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*1) Previous avalanches occurred at the same site in March 1959 and another one, eight years earlier (Stethem and
Schaerer 1980).
July 1959
Event type: Rockslide.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Evans et al. 1989; Evans (unpublished data) (Case History 9).
In July, a rock avalanche occurred at Pandemonium Creek in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. The volume of the rock
avalanche was estimated at 5 million m 3 (Evans et al. 1989). It appears to have been transformed into a debris flow after
energy losses involved in the run-up in Pandemonium Creek and swept down Pandemonium Creek at a velocity of between
21-38 m/s (Evans (unpublished data).
September 8-9, 1959
Event type: Mudslide.
Precipitation: Falls River (57.7 mm/1 day), September 8, 1959; Prince Rupert (66.8 mm/2 days), September 8-9, 1959.
Source: Prince Rupert Daily News, September 9, 1959; J. Mekechuck, pers. comm. 1989. CN Railway, Edmonton,
Alta.
Digby Island near Prince Rupert recorded 2.63 in. (66.8 mm) of rain in 24 hours. Despite the heavy wind, no
damage was reported. On the rail line between Terrace-Prince Rupert, a mudslide occurred at Mile 64.8, closing the
line for three hours.
October 17-18, 1959
Event type: Debris slide.
Precipitation: Falls River (67.8 mm/2 days), October 17-18, 1959; Prince Rupert (64.0 mm/2 days), October 17-18,
1959; Terrace (28.2 mm/2 days), October 17-18, 1959.
Source: File 28-20-31 Letter, November 6, 1959 R. E. McKeown (Dist. Supt.; Prince Rupert) to J. A. Lonsbury (Safety
Insurance Officer, Victoria) B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace.
On October 19, a slide occurred about 0.5 mi. (800 m) west of Sunnyside. It knocked out all the
communication lines and covered the rail line for several hours. According to R.E. McKeown, Highways
Superintendent, it was a “direct result of our operations on the Port Edward-Cassiar Cannery Road Project No. 986.”
October 26-28, 1959
Event type: Glacial outburst flood.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Mathews 1965 (pp. 46-52).
Between October 26-28, Strohn Lake, at the head of the Bear River valley, suddenly drained again. *1)
(Mathews 1965).
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*1) A sudden draining of Strohn Lake was recorded for the first time on October 19, 1958. On October 6, 1960, the
lake drained again. (Mathews 1965).
October 30-November 1, 1959
Event type: Flooding and debris slide.
Precipitation: Falls River (128.3 mm/3 days), October 30-November 1, 1959; Ocean Falls (260.8 mm/3 days), October
30-November 1, 1959; Kitimat (131.3 mm/3 days), October 30-November 1, 1959; Langara (105.4 mm/2 days),
October 31-November 1, 1959.
Source: The Northern Sentinel, November 5, 1959; Terrace Omineca Herald, November 5, 1959; The Interior News,
November 5, 1959; Ocean Falls Advertiser, November 9, 1959; LAST Land Station Listing 1963-1983; Lewis and
Moran, 1985; Letter, November 5, 1959, C. S. Shaw (Dist. Supt. Terrace) to R. G. Harvey (Reg. Eng. Prince George).
B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace.
Prince Rupert recorded 5 in. (127 mm) of rain and gale force winds with gusts of 50 mph (80 km/h). On
October 31, a maximum wind of 50 kn. (92.5 km) was recorded. One station reported winds over 48 kn. (89 km/h)
(Lewis and Moran 1985). The storm did considerable damage in the Prince Rupert-Terrace-Kitimat area. Telephone
and telegraph communications were interrupted east, south, and west of Terrace. On November 1, the Granite Creek
bridge on Highway 25 washed out, stranding over 100 cars for 34 hours. An 80-ft. (24 m) span Bailey bridge was
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