Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-12
SMITH AND WEAR ADVANCE
TO Higher c. n. POSITIONS
General Superintendent Goes to Spokane and
Butte Division Head Assumes Charge /,
of Central District.

OF the Grand Trunk railway Of Canada.
After four years with this railroad he
came to Montana as q conductor on the
old Montana Central railway. In the
spring of 1898 he was transferred to
the Cascade division of the Great
Northern, in charge of the old switch
back and in charge of the service
during the construction Of the Cascade
tunnel.
String of Promotions
When the tunnel was completed he
was promoted to passenger conductor
on the Kalispell division and later be-
came trainmaster of that division. His
next promotion was TO assistant super
intendent of the Spokane Falls &
Northern railway. now known as the
Marcus division of the Great Northern.
In 1907 he was appointed superintend-
ent of the Kalispell division, serving
in that capacity until 1913. when he
was transferred to Everett, Wash,
as superintendent of the Cascade divi-
sion. Early in 1917 ne was promoted
to assistant general superintendent of
the Central district and a few months
later succeeded Mr.. Elliott as general
superintendent of the district. He has
been in Great Falls since that time.
Mr.. Smith is married and owns a
fruit ranch at Kent, Wash, where his
wife and daughter live. His new head
quarters at Spokane will make it pos
sible for him to see his family much
more often than he was able to while
living in Great Falls.
Both Smith and Wear are of the old
type railroad men. Both big, rugged
men, schooled in the game and thor
oughly familiar with it from every
angle, they are as much pioneers in
blazing the trail of progress in the
west as the old frOntiersmen who wag-
on-freighted across the plains in the
early days. They have watched the
west develop through many railroad
wars and industrial crises and have
seen the buffalo trails fade and graded
highways take their places.
Like Smith, Wear begin his rail
roading in Canada. as an office boy or
the Great Western railway at Wind
sor, Ont. in 1880. After several years
with that railroad he transferred to
the Grand Trunk line of Canada as a
brakeman and later a conductor. In
1888 he began his first railroading in
the United States. with the Toledo, st.
Louis & Kansas City railway. He
worked in various capacities with that
company uutl LOW WITH Nv lTdHS-
Iferred to the st. Louis & San Francisco
railway. After three years as a con-
ductOr and brakeman for that company
became to Montana and got a job as a
conductor on the Butte division of the
Great Northern. In February, 1910. he
to Great Falls as general yard
master of the Great Northern here.
In 1911 Wear was promoted to train
master of the Butte division and during
the next six years served as train
master of the Kalispell. Fergus Falls,
Mesabi and Butte divisions of the Great
Northern. In September, 1917, he was
transferred from trainmaster Of the
Butte division to superintendent of the
division. which position he has held
since that time, except for six months
during the war that he served as term
inal manager of the road at Butte for
the government.
Mr.. Wear is married and has two
children. His home is at 121 Second
avenue north.