HISTORICAL NEWS SEARCH - Government of British Columbia

were continued until the flood culminated on December 1. During the last week of November, the flow of water from
Summit Lake caused the level of the Salmon River to rise 7.5 ft. (2.25 m).
Six inches (15 cm) of water splashed across a gravel road used by Granduc Mines Ltd. to serve its
operations. Floodwaters 3 ft. (90 cm) deep surged over 0.5 mi. (800 m) of road about 4 mi. (6.4 km) from Hyder.
Though the flooded section is actually in Alaska, it is the only road accessing Granduc’s mining camp.
The flood damaged the Salmon River road for about 1 km above Nine Mile, necessitating road relocation at a
cost to Granduc Operating Company of $250,000. In addition, another 2-km stretch of freshly completed road on the
floodplain, costing $275,000, was wiped out. *1) The Nine Mile bridge had part of its bridge deck carried away. The
steel-truss bridge, which had been damaged and written off following the 1961 flood and its final destruction in 1967,
represented no additional financial loss (Mathews 1973). Some 6 mi. (9.6 km) of the Stewart-Tide Lake road was
destroyed or damaged.
According to L.J. Randall, president of Granduc Mines, flood damage to the newly constructed 32.5-mi.
(52-km) road through Alaska to their Tide Lake camp totaled some $750,000. Some 130 miners were briefly cut off.
The company appealed to the provincial and federal governments for assistance on the cost of the Stewart-Tide Lake
road. (The Vancouver Sun). Though with only 1 ft. (30 cm) of snow on the ground this time, Hyder escaped damage.
*2) Residents at the mouth of the river were about to evacuate when the flood suddenly stopped.
Waller, who inspected the empty lakebed, reported a definite cavern or tunnel entrance at the south end of
the lake. According to Dr. William H. Mathews, professor of Geology at the University of British Columbia, the
immense weight pressure from the glacier would effectively seal the escape tunnel. Mathews commented that the
unusual flood was unexplainable “by any of the current hypotheses for failure of ice dams (The Province, November
30, 1965).
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* 1) Thanks to the relocation and some riverbank protection, the 1967 flood caused only a one-and-a-half-day
interruption in traffic (Mathews 1973). In the many self-dumping lakes in northern British Columbia and Alaska, the
dumping process usually occurs in summer at the height of the melting season (Mathews In: The Province, December
2, 1965)
*2) After the 1961 event, the Alaskan government had constructed a new 12-ft. (3.6 m) dyke, 4 ft. (1.2 m) higher than
the original one (The Province, December 2, 1965)
January 7-8, 1966
Event type: Icejam flooding.
Precipitation: Not applicable.
Source: Victoria Daily Times, January 8, 1966; The Quesnel Cariboo Observer, January 13, 1966; The Province, May 1,
1974.
Early on January 7, ice in the Quesnel River started jamming forcing water to back up. High waters developed into
a flood condition. On January 8, a big icejam on the Fraser River about 2 mi. (3.2 km) downstream from Quesnel brought the
river levels up about 10 ft. (3 m). *1) Floodwaters of the two rivers, which join within the community, threatened Quesnel
residents. According to Mayor Alex Fraser, the ice had reached the lower level of Front Street on the Fraser River. The
Hume Sawmill Co., situated on the flat in the Quesnel River, was forced to suspend operations when the water flooded the
lower portions of its dry kiln and planer installation. Between 12-15 men working at the mill were temporarily laid off. Cold
weather caused the operation to freeze in. The PGE managed to pull two of three cars from the yard but a third was frozen in.
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*1) In 1974, the Town of Quesnel and the provincial government agreed on a $48,000-riverbank protection project at the
confluence of the Quesnel and Fraser rivers. The project was scheduled to start on May 3, 1974. The town would pay 25%
with the remainder paid by the provincial government. (The Province, May 1, 1974).
January 13-21, 1966
Event type: Flooding.
Precipitation: Prince Rupert M. Circ (106.6 mm/4 days), January 13-16, 1966; Prince Rupert M. Circ (82.2 mm/2
days), January 19-20, 1966; Bella Coola (24.4 mm/3 days), January 19-21, 1966; Terrace (30.8 cm snow/3 days),
January 19-21, 1966; Kitimat Townsite (61.0 mm/1 day), January 20, 1966.
Source: The Daily News, January 12, 13, 18, 22, 23, 24 and 25, 1966.
On January 12, the first snowslide of the year blocked the highway near Kwinitsa. *1) The slide, which was
50 ft. (15 m) wide and 10 ft. (3 m) deep, closed the highway. After three hours it was made passable for one lane
traffic and the rest of the slide was removed on January 13. On January 17, several small slides occurred on Highway
16 between Prince Rupert-Terrace. The worst spots were between Mile 8-Mile31 and at Mile 35. A snowfall of 16 in.
(40.6 cm), turning into rain and 14 in. (35.6 cm) of snow at the Prince Rupert end, were reported. Highway 16 was
open on January 18 with single lane traffic in several sections. Around January 24, Highway 16 east of Kwinitsa had a
“considerable amount of water” on the road in several sections. On January 21 at 3 a.m., the BC Tel microwave tower
at Zymoetz went out. On January 23, the temperatures rose.
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