The September 19th 1889 rock slide along Champlain Street in Québec City, a catastrophe foretold by Charles Baillargé

J. Locat

In the proceedings of: GeoVancouver 2016: 69th Canadian Geotechnical Conference

Session: CGS Heritage Luncheon

ABSTRACT: The 1889 rock slide along Champlain Street is the one that caused the largest number of fatalities among the many landslides that took place in this area of Québec City during the 19th century. This event marked a significant step in our way of looking at these events from both technical and political viewpoints. This paper presents a historical perspective of the events leading to the 1889 slide, starting with the 1841 slide which was also quite significant. Already in 1840, signs of this major hazard along the cliff were reported. Mitigation measures were initiated mainly after 1880 but they were not sufficient to prevent the major catastrophe expected by those who did the investigation of the Champlain Cliff. Baillargé, in particular, carried out a detailed survey in 1879 and proposed mitigation measures that would have likely prevented the consequences of the 1889 slide had they been followed completely. The story of the 1889 slide ends in 1894 by an interesting judgment by the Supreme Court of Canada, in which The Queen was not held responsible for the consequences of the slide, although the main trigger was the water draining from the Citadel into the cliff fissures. It is only in 1960 that major stabilization work was carried out under the Dufferin Terrace. This paper also highlights the significant contribution of Charles Baillargé (1826-1906) in the understanding of rock slide processes along the Champlain Cliff.

RÉSUMÉ: Le glissement rocheux de 1889 le long de la rue Champlain est celui qui a causé le plus de décès parmis les multiples glissements qui se sont produits dans cette partie de la ville de Québec au cours du 19e siècle. Ce glissement a marqué un jalon important dans notre façon de voir ces phénomènes tant du point de vue technique que politique. Cet article présente une perspective historique des événements qui ont mené à celui de 1889, et cela en commençant par celui de 1841 qui était aussi important. Des mesures de prévention ont été mises en place après as été suffisantes pour prévenir la catastrophe de 1889 qui avait été appréhendée par ceux, incluant Baillargé en 1879, qui t de la Cour Suprême du Canada en 1894 qui conclut que la Reine ne pouvait être tenue responsable des conséquences du glissement malgré le fait que la cause principale était un drain défectueux provenant de la Citadelle, lequel a permis aux eaux de drainage de dans les larges fissures présentes dans le talusetir de 1960 que des travaux majeurs de stabilisation ont été entrepris sous la terrasse Dufferin. Cet article illustre aussi la contribution significative de Charles Baillargé (1826-1906) à la compréhension des glissements de terrain le long de la falaise Champlain.

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Cite this article:
J. Locat (2016) The September 19th 1889 rock slide along Champlain Street in Québec City, a catastrophe foretold by Charles Baillargé in GEO2016. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{4419_0914102601,author = J. Locat,title = The September 19th 1889 rock slide along Champlain Street in Québec City, a catastrophe foretold by Charles Baillargé,year = 2016}