191

father, he took a sea voyage, embarking for Hispaniola
(San Domingo) on the sloop "Charming Sally," Captain-
Robert Lillibridge in command, on July 2, 1791. The
"Charming Sally" reached port safely, but the young
Gruber was to witness while on the island the rebellion
by which France lost possession of the West India is-
land. He secured a position as compositor on a French
paper, and during his stay on the island, his health
was much improved. When the rebellion reached its
height, Gruber was compelled to disguise himself as a
sailor and flee the island "amid scenes of the most
terrible bloodshed and carnage, ever recorded in
history." His voyage home was just as eventful, for
a violent storm arose, when the vessel on which he
sailed neared Cape May; the ship was blown back to sea,
and for weeks the crew were in peril of their lives
from the storm and threatening starvation."

The ship made the port of Philadelphia success-
fully and Gruber worked in that city for a short time
at the printing trade. In 1793 he removed to Reading,
Berks County, Pennsylvania, and on the 26th of June
entered into partnership with Gotlob Jungman, who was
engaged in the publication of the Neue Unpartheyischa
Readinger Zeitung und Anzeigs-Hachrichten.⁵ It was

5 Ibid. p. [7-9]