Page 161 - Green Butterfly Book 2

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George Stephenson, who built a great bridge at Montreal, liked it so much that he ordered an extra edition for his own use. Everybody liked it. The “London Times” spoke of it as the only paper in the world published on a railway train.
But the “Grand Trunk Herald” had a sad ending. Do you know what phosphorus is? It is a substance which will take fire of itself if not kept under water. Tom’s bottle of phosphorus was thrown to the floor by the jolting of
the car. Soon everything was on fire.
The conductor rushed in and threw all the type and chemicals out of the car. He also gave the young chemist a thrashing. Poor Thomas gathered up what was left and put his things in the basement of his father’s house.
Thomas’s father now lived at Port Huron. He now printed another, larger journal. This was called the “Paul Pry.” In this he published an article which one of his subscribers did not like. The angry man, meeting Thomas on the banks of the St. Clair River, picked him up and threw him in. Thomas was a good swimmer and reached the shore in safety. But he did not care for the printing business any more.
During the four years in which Thomas Edison was a train-boy, he had earned two thousand dollars and given it all to his parents.
When in Detroit, he read as much as possible from the public library. Once he thought he would begin with number one and read each of the thousand volumes. He read until he had finished a long row of hard books on a shelf fifteen feet long. Then he made up his mind that anyone would have to live as long as Methuselah to read a library through, and gave up the plan.
Thomas became interested in telegraphy during the Civil War. He used to telegraph the headings in his paper ahead one station. He thought this was a good way to advertise.
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