HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

levels. Forty feet (12 m) of riverbank was eroded and a power pole was undermined. The Kildala subdivision was hit
by a short power outage. Switching to the alternate line temporarily restored power. According to power company
officials, this was by far the most the river has eroded in any storm. The southern transmission line between the
smelter and the townsite was knocked out. Crews were working on clearing the Terrace to Kitimat road
Between December 5-7, because of slides and washouts Highway 16 and the rail line between Prince Rupert-
Terrace were closed for 36 hours. Terrace was cut off east, west, and south by as many as 21 washouts. Cuts in
Highway 16 measured widths of 100 ft. (30 m) and 30 ft. (9 m) and depths of 30 ft. (9 m) and 10 ft. (3 m), respectively.
On Highway 16 east of Terrace, an extensive washout occurred at Hells Bells Creek. An abandoned pick-up truck
ended undamaged, right side up at the bottom of a washout 10 ft. (3 m) deep and 25 ft. (7.5 m) wide. Earlier, its two
occupants escaped unharmed when 35 mi. (56 km) east of Terrace, a narrow section of roadbed collapsed beneath the
front wheels. The highway was still out on December 10. Flooding and many small slides occurred. At Prudhomme
Lake there was 2 ft. (60 cm) of water on the highway.
Damage caused to Highway 16 required the relocation of a power pole. It necessitated an additional 10 ft. (3
m) of rock blasting of the north side of the road near the Indian Cemetery (H. Grier). On Highway 25, the southern
approach to Furlong Creek bridge was undermined and flooded.
The Smithers area experienced heavy rain. Melting snow caused flooding in some low-lying areas and
basements. Water levels in the Telkwa, Morice, and Bulkley rivers rose considerably. The highway bridge at Trout
Creek, 14 mi. (22.4 km) west of Smithers, was damaged.
On December 4, a rock and snowslide occurred 8 mi. (12.8 km) north of Stewart. A mudslide hit two
construction firm employees working on the Stewart-Cassiar road project. One of the men was killed.
December 25-26, 1959
Event type: Landslides and flooding.
Precipitation: Masset (76.2 mm/2 days), December 25-26, 1959; Sandspit A (55.6 mm/1 day), December 26, 1959;
Falls River (77.2 mm/1 day), December 26, 1959; Kitimat (72.4 mm/1 day), December 26, 1959; Kitimat Townsite
(62.5 mm/1 day), December 26, 1959.
Source: Telegram, R. E. McKeown (Dist. Supt. Prince Rupert) to R. G. Harvey (Reg. Eng. Prince George). B.C.
Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Terrace.
On the Queen Charlotte Islands, the Port Clements to Masset road was closed by slides and washouts caused
by the December 27 storm. L. Lilienweiss, Highways Foreman at Port Clements, reported a slide that occurred on the
“toe hill (Tow Hill) road.”
March 11-18, 1960
Event type: Snow avalanches.
Precipitation: Falls River (305.6 mm/7 days), March 12-18, 1960; Kitimat Townsite (368.9 mm/6 days), March 13-18,
1960; Langara (35.3 mm/1 day), March 16, 1960; Prince Rupert (91.7 mm/2 days), March 16-17, 1960.
Source: The Northern Sentinel, March 17, 1960; Prince Rupert Daily News, March 16, 1960.
In Kitimat, 4 in. (101.6 mm) of rain fell in 38 hours, followed by 12 in. (30.5 cm) of snow. Highway 16 and
the rail line between Prince Rupert-Terrace were closed by a series of snowslides. On March 16, Highway 16 west of
Terrace was hit by snowslides four times. One slide about 2 mi. (3.2 km) east of Kwinitsa measured a length of 100 ft.
(30 m) and a depth of 20 ft. (6 m). During March 16-17, two more slides came down. Both the highway and rail line
were reopened on March 17.
September 7, 1960
Event type: Fatal debris slide.
Precipitation: Not available.
Source: The Citizen, September 8, 1960; The Vancouver Sun, September 8, 1960.
On September 7 at 9:45 a.m., a landslide came down a steep ravine 18 mi. (28.8 km) west of McBride. The
10-ft. (3 m) high mud and debris slide killed three of the highway construction workers. The swiftly moving rubble
broke two-thirds of the way up of the 125-ft. (37.5 m) ravine. Another man was injured while fifth man escaped. The
slide was between 60-100 ft. (18-30 m) wide as it plunged down the steep slopes of the about 150-ft. (45 m) deep
ravine. The debris was about 30 ft. (9 m) deep. The slide occurred in loose clay and carried stumps and trees but little
rock.
The injured man was caught by the edge of the slide and was “rolled over a couple of times.” The five-man
crew was clearing bush for a highway roadbed when a section of the slope gave way. Other members of the crew,
which numbered about 20, were working nearby. The men were working for Ben Ginter Construction Company of
Prince George on the building of a new section of Highway 16.
The uninjured man later said, “There was only a split second warning when the slide started, and I just
happened to jump the right way. One of the men who disappeared was right beside me.” One body was recovered right
after the slide came down. Because of the danger of another slide, recovery work of the bodies of a father and son by
40 men were halted at dusk on September 7.
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