The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-09-29
SMITH AND WEAR
BOTH ADVANCED
GENERAL sUPERINTnNDENT OF
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF
q. II, PROMOTED


. promotion placing them another
notch higher in the scale Of Great
Northern railway executive, w. r.
Smith and Fred Wear. two Of Mon
tana's most popular railroad officials,
and close personal friends. will this
week assume new roles in the Great
Northern directorate organization, It
was announced last week in an off,
cial statement issued by J. H. O'Neil
OF Seattle, general manager of the
Western district of the Great North
ern system, and signed by G. o.
jerks, vice president in charge Of
operation.
Smith, for five years general SUPER
intendent Of the Central division Of
the Great Northern with headquart-
ers in Great Falls, will be transferred
to Spokane as general superintend-
ent Of the Western district. He will
succeed F. 8. Elliott, who has been
granted an indefinite leave Of absence
because of i'll health.
Promotions Along Line
Wear. for five years superintend-
emit of the Butte division with head
quarters in Great Falls, will succeed
Mr.. Smith as general superintendent
of the Central district. Following
in the wake of his promotion, there
will be ladder climbing for officials
who have worked under Wear for
several steps down the scale. He
will be succeeded by T. e. Dixon,
trainmaster of the Butte division,
who in turn will be succeeded by
N. F. Sell. general yardmaster at
Great Falls. E. j. Jerry" DAILY,
chief clerk in the division superin-
tendent's office, will be promoted to
yardmaster.
smiths advancement places him
within thre rounds of the top of the
Great Northern ladder and makes him
prominent figure in directing the
affairs of the Great Northern system.
Mr.. Smith has been "railroading'
since 1889 and in December will have
been with the Great Northern rs
years, becoming veteran in the
organization. He has served in al
most every capacity of railway serv-
Ice since his debut into the employ
OF the Canadian Pacific as q freight
conductor in Toronto in 1889.
He worked as brakeman and con-
ductor and in various other roles of
train service with the Canadian Pa
ctffc until 1893, when he entered the
service OF the Grand Trunk railway
OF Canada. After four years with this
railroad he came to Montana as q
conductor on the old Montana Gen.
trail railway. In the spring of 1898
ne was transferred to the Cascade
division Of the Great Northern, In
charge of the old switchback and In
charge OF the snow service during
the construction Of the Cascade tun-
mel.
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
superintendent of the Spokane Falls
Z Northern railway. now known as
the Marcus division of the Great
Northern. In 1907 he was appointed
superintendent of the Kalispell divi-
sion, serving In that capacity until
1913, when he was transferred to
Everett, WASH. as superintendent Of
the Cascade division. Early in 1917
ne was promoted to assistant general
superintendent Of the Central district
and few months later succeeded Mr..
Elliott as general superintendent OF
the district. He has been in Great
Falls since that time.
Mr.. smith IL married and owns q
fruit ranch at Kent. WASH, where his
wife and daughter live. His new
Headquarters at Spokane will make
1t possible for him to see his family
to while living in Great Falls.
Both Smith and Wear are of the
old type railroad men. Both big.
rugged men. schooled In tho game
and thoroughly familiar with 1t from
every angle. they are a. much pio-
neers In blazing the trail Of progress
IN the west - the old frontiersmen
who wagon-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 began his rail-
roading IN Canada. a. an office boy
on the Great Western railway at
Windsor. Ont. IN 1880. After sew
eral years with that railroad he trans
terred to the Grand Trunk lire Of
canada - brakeman and later =
conductor. In 1888 he began his first
railroading in the United states. with
the Toledo. st. Louis & Kansas City
railway. He worked In various cana
cities With that company until 1906.
when he Transferred to the 81, Louis
Z San Franc1sco railway. After three
- = =