HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

At the Skeena River Hatchery another flood occurred on October 1. Whitwell (1906) notes, “... in fact,
nothing but floods and freshets since the fifth of August....” Heavy rains occurred, starting October 4.
November 12-14, 1905
Event type: Flooding.
Precipitation: Kitimat Mission (153.4 mm/3 days), November 12-14, 1905.
Source: Whitwell 1906.
On November 13 the hatchery experienced the worst flood of the season. Lakelse River and Coldwater
Creek overflowed their banks. The hatchery floor was flooded with 2 in. (5 cm) of water (Whitwell 1906).
December 19-25, 1905
Event type: Flooding.
Precipitation: Kitimat Mission (111.3 mm/3 days), December 22-24, 1905; Port Simpson (45.7 mm/2 days), December
24-25, 1905.
Source: Vancouver Daily Province, December 19, 1905; Whitwell 1906; Tempest 1974.
According to Whitwell (1906) heavy rains occurred in the Terrace area until January 9, 1906.
Records kept by the B.C. Ministry Transportation and Highways, show that a moderate flood occurred on the
Bella Coola River (Tempest 1974). Floodwaters caused by the “heaviest rains for many a year” washed out three
bridges, delaying traffic. A large bridge crossing the Noosatsum (Nusatsum River), 600 ft. (180 m) in length went out
with the flood. Other bridges carried away were those crossing the Neeleetsomy (Neeleetsconnoy) River and a stream
called Draney Creek.
October 1, 1908
Event type: Debris flow.
Precipitation: Prince Rupert (138.2 mm/1 day), September 26, 1908.
Source: The Empire, October 3, 1908; Evans (unpublished data) (Case history 19).
During the week of September 26-October 3, Prince Rupert recorded 9.16 in. of rain with 5.44 in. (138.2
mm) falling on September 26. On September 28 and 30, Prince Rupert reported additional 1.84 in (46.7 mm) and 2.77
in. (70 4 mm), respectively (The Empire, October 3, 1908).
On October 1, a debris flow came down 0.5 mi. (800 m) west of Inverness Cannery. The torrent was released
by the breach of a landslide dam in the creek above the site. One house was damaged and the Dominion Telegraph line
destroyed. There were no fatalities. (Evans (unpublished data).
November 26-28, 1908
Event type: Rain-on-snow flooding.
Precipitation: Swanson Bay (172.2 mm/3 days), November 26-28, 1908; Prince Rupert (96.8 mm/2 days), November
27-28, 1908.
Source: The Empire, November 28, 1908; The Victoria Daily Times, November 30, 1908.
On November 26, Prince Rupert reported heavy rain and a southeast gale. Between November 26-27, 4.26
in. (108.2 mm) of rain was recorded. No reference to damage was found.
Heavy rains that followed a fall of snow caused the Bella Coola River to flood. One bridge was washed out
and several others were damaged. The total damage was estimated at $15,000. The Salaant (Salloompt) bridge at
Hagensborg, which was about 300 ft. (90 m) long, was swept away. The Noosatsum (Nusatsum) bridge was also
washed out and a number of smaller structures were destroyed. The Bella Coola River had not been as high for many
years.
August, 1909
Event type: Glacial outburst flood.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source:Tarr and Martin 1914 (p. 158); Clague and Rampton 1982; Clarke 1982; Clarke et al. 1984; Clarke 1989;
Clague and Evans 1994 (p. 23).
In August 1909, a major flood occurred on the Alsek River delta (Tarr and Martin 1914), which may have
resulted from the draining of Lake Alsek. Eyewitness accounts of this flood clearly indicate that the rapid emptying of
a glacier-dammed lake caused it. Potential ice-dammed lakes other than Lake Alsek may have been the source of these
floodwaters. For example, a lake may have formed in Alsek Valley in British Columbia behind the toe of Tweedsmuir
Glacier (Clague and Rampton 1982). *1)
An extremely large, self-dumping lake formed many times during a recent period of cooler climate that
ended in the late nineteenth century. Lowell Glacier advanced or surged across Alsek River (Clague and Rampton
1982). Calculations using a paleohydrological simulation model (Clarke 1982; Clarke et al. 1984) indicate that the
peak discharges of floods from Lake Alsek during the mid-nineteenth century were roughly 30,000 m 3 /s (Clarke
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