Government of New Brunswick
Bathurst
St. Stephen
Keswick
Burtts Corner
Tide Head
Atholville
Bonny River
Grand Falls
St. George
Woodstock
Pokiok
Grafton
Wapske
Rough Waters
Minto
Mcnamee
Jemseg
Gagetown
Chipman
Renous
Quarryville
Miramichi
Exmoor
Fredericton
Durham Bridge
Lakeside
Saint John
Taymouth
Sheffield
Oromocto
Maugerville
Mactaquac
Plaster Rock
Oxbow
Ice jam
Snowmelt
Heavy rain
$250,000.00

Affected Areas


Saint John River Basin: In the Saint John River Basin, the areas most affected by this flood were in Sunbury and York counties. The low lying areas around Maugerville, Sheffield, Jemseg and Oromocto as well as areas along the Kennebecasis River were reported to be inundated. An ice jam formed four miles above Plaster Rock. When the ice jam broke, two 100 foot [30 m] spans of the main highway bridge were destroyed. Another ice jam occurred at Oxbow, on the Tobique River some 15 miles [24 km] upstream of Plaster Rock. The ice jam was reported to about five miles [8.0 km] long. At Wapske, the C.P.R. track was reported to be under two to three feet [0.6 m to 0.9 m] ] of water. At Plaster Rock, it was reported that ice, lumber and debris littered the C.P.R. lines and the station yard. A considerable quantity of sawn lumber was lost. Washouts and inundated sections of railway lines and highways disrupted rail and highway traffic throughout the Saint John River Valley. At Woodstock, the Island Park Road was damaged by floating ice and debris. The Exhibition Building was partially submerged. The highway at Grafton was inundated. An ice jam at Sugar Island was responsible for the inundation of the tracks on the Centreville Sub-division of the C.N.R. in this area. The Keswick River overflowed and inundated the highway near Burtt's Corner. The C.P.R. was inundated near Barton. The ice jam at Sugar Island was also responsible for the flooded tracks at McKinley Ferry. At Fredericton, basements were flooded in many parts of the city and Devon. Moving ice damaged the city warehouse at the foot of Regent Street. In the Nashwaak Valley, cattle were drowned, houses and barns flooded and some poultry was lost. The highway was inundated in the vicinity of Durham Bridge and at Taymouth. All the highways to the south of Fredericton were blocked by water. Water was over the highway at the Carman Creek Bridge and the White Bridge at the mouth of Corbett's Creek. The Minto Line of the C.P.R. was washed out at three points between Barker's Point and Cotter's Siding. An ice jam occurred at Gilberts Island and stretched to Upper Maugerville. In the flats below Fredericton, hundreds of families were forced to vacate their homes or move to the upper floors. Barns were lifted from their foundations, greenhouses were destroyed, pigs drowned and all communications were disrupted for several days. Four hundred head of cattle and horses were moved to higher ground by barge. Fox farmers at Gagetown and Maugerville reported losses of foxes. The lighthouse at Gagetown was reported as having succumbed to the freshet. Scores of summer homes and cottages along the lower Saint John and Kennebecasis rivers were inundated. The Saint John to Moncton highway was inundated at Lakeside. At Indiantown, a number of homes in the lower section were partially surrounded by water, if not completely inundated. Flood waters were also reported to have entered warehouses and other property in the Indiantown area of Saint John. Near Saint John, the lower dam of the Little River Reservoir was washed out. Restigouche River Basin: In the Restigouche River Basin, rail and highway traffic was disrupted by washouts and ice jams. On the I.N.R. at Mile 19, high water in Grog Brook washed out a 65 foot [approx. 20 m] section of track. A section of the C.N.R. track was washed out above Matapedia. In Matapedia, the hotel and other properties were flooded. Livestock, household goods and business stocks were lost. An ice jam at Matapedia was less than four feet from the top of the railway bridge piers. An ice jam in the main Restigouche River occurred at Bells Island and was reported to be 12 miles [approx. 19 km] long. Along the river between Tide Head and Matapedia, the islands were awash and summer camps damaged. At England Flats, a guide house, dining hall and cookhouse were damaged. At Indian House, the guide quarters were damaged. At the mouth of the Matapedia River, the guide shanty was damaged. Damage also occurred at Red Bank Camp and Pine Island. A quantity of lumber, logs and pulpwood was swept out to sea. The mill at Atholville was forced to close when the pump house was flooded. The electrical motors were removed for "baking" (drying). Nepisiguit River Basin: The Nepisiguit River overflowed its banks above the pumping station at Rough Waters when the river below the station became blocked with ice. The running ice in the lower reaches of the Nepisiguit River wrecked a tower of the Bathurst-Great Falls transmission line. The disruption in service and the high water forced the pulp mill to shut down. Miramichi River Basin: On the Southwest Miramichi River, an ice jam occurred at McNamee and several summer cottages were torn from their foundations. The railway line at McNamee was inundated. Sections of highway were severely damaged in the Renous-Quarryville area and blocked by ice cast ashore. Property and dwellings also sustained significant damage in this area. An ice jam near Quarryville was reported to have caused the water level in the Renous River to rise some fifteen feet [4.6 m] above summer levels. A number of families were evacuated from their homes and a large barn, located near the mouth of the Renous River, was floated off its foundations and deposited in the middle of the main highway between Renous and Fredericton. Extensive damage was also reported as having occurred along the Northwest Miramichi River. Near Exmoor, one family was evacuated from their home and other residents used boats for three days for local transportation. Two pedestrian suspension ("swinging") bridges were reported destroyed at the Colgate and Jack Hare camps. The high water was reported to have reached the eves of a cabin at G.W. Hill's, which was located some twenty feet [approx. 6 m] above the normal river level. An ice jam occurred at Middle Island below Chatham. When this jam broke, large cakes of ice were piled some 20 feet [approx. 6 m] high on the shores. Magaguadavic River Basin: In the Magaguadavic River Basin, the pulp mill at St. George was forced to close because of the high water. The highway from St. George to Bonny River was said to be impassable, but it is not known whether this was because of inundation or washouts. St. Croix River Basin: In the St. Croix River Basin, washouts occurred on the railway lines in the State of Maine. Trains were re-routed through Calais-St. Stephen because highwater at Milltown inundated the Branch Line there connecting the two systems. Portions of the old barriers at Union Mills and Baring had given way and concern was expressed for the Grand Falls Dam under the high head of water.
Continuous rainfall for several days, with snowmelt and ice jams.
Saint John River Basin: An ice jam four miles [6.4 km] above Plaster Rock on the Tobique River broke on April 17 causing the level to rise 8.5 feet [2.6 m] in two and one-half hours. The level at Plaster Rock, following the breakup of the ice jam was the highest ever recorded during a spring freshet but was still 20 inches [about 0.5 m] below of the level reached in June 1922. At Fredericton, the level steadily increased from April 17 to peak on April 22. The level then fell on the April 24 and April 25, recovered slightly April 26 and then receded. At Indiantown, the level peaked about April 26. The maximum daily mean discharge at Pokiok was 253 000 cfs [7 164 m3/s]. At Fredericton, the level was 24.4 feet [7.44 m], this was 2.2 feet [0.67 m] lower than the 1923 level. The Salmon River at Chipman was reported to have reached the 1923 level. At Woodstock, it was the highest since 1923 and at Gagetown, it was three inches [0.075 m] below the 1923 level. Restigouche River Basin: At Matapedia, in the Restigouche River Basin, the water level was reported to be nine feet [2.7 m] higher than the level of 1933. This level was only one foot below the level "of the record freshet of 40 years ago". Nepisiguit River Basin: The freshet conditions on the Nepisiguit River were said "to be the most serious in many years". Miramichi River Basin: On the lower Miramichi River, the ice jam and water was reported as being the worst for a "great" number of years. An ice jam near Quarryville was reported to have caused the water level in the Renous River to rise some fifteen feet [4.6 m] above summer levels. St. Croix River Basin: Not since the freshet of 1923 has the danger of "bursting dams been so great in the St. Croix River Basin".
Overall damage to farms and other property was estimated in newspaper reports to be $250 000. Saint John River Basin: The New Brunswick Government has records of expenditures on roads and bridges arising from the flood. They are as follows: COUNTY ROADS BRIDGES Kings $6 150.71 $5 531.71 Queens $11 674.75 Sunbury $24 136.58 York $419.28 TOTAL $42 381.32 $5 531.71 The newspapers reported that the damage to the Plaster Rock Bridge was estimated to be in the vicinity of $17 000. Roads were damaged to south of Fredericton and along the Kennebecasis River. At least a million feet of lumber was lost in the Grand Falls and Woodstock areas. Railway schedules were disrupted in several areas. One farmer estimated his loss of foxes in the Maugerville area at $2 000. Damage in the Maugerville-Sheffield area was placed near $100 000 inclusive of both private and public property. Restigouche River Basin: The damages in the Restigouche River Basin were said "to have run into many thousands of dollars". Miramichi River Basin: A considerable amount of damage was reported to have occurred along the Southwest Miramichi River, but no dollar figures for this damage were found in the accounts.