"The Mysterious Island" and Martha's Vineyard

File this under: Did You Know?

Patch reader David Whitmon sent in a fortuitous finding.

Whitmon has been reading the novel "Mysterious Island," by Jules Verne, to his youngest daughter. The novel details the story of five men who are prisoners of war in Richmond, Virginia during the Civil War. They escape in a balloon during a horrendous storm, and are swept across the continental United States. Soon after, they find themselves stranded on an uncharted island in the South Pacific. They set about making themselves at home until they are rescued.

"What is I believe is of interest to my fellow Vineyarders is about half way through the book, a whale is washed up onto a nearby beach," says Whitmon. "They find a whaling harpoon in the body of the whale."

"The harpoon is inscribed with the name of the ship it is from. Below that, it reads: VINEYARD.

"One of the characters cries out 'A vessel from The Vineyard! A ship from my country!'

"And he goes on to finally say, 'And the sailor, brandishing the harpoon, repeated, not without emotion, the name which he loved so well-the name of his birthplace.'

"There is an asterix next to VINEYARD," says Whitmon. "At the bottom of the page is, 'A port in the state of Massachusetts.'

"'Mysterious Island' was published in 1875. As we all know, during one period of time, "The Vineyard"—Martha's Vineyard—was a major whaling port and even Jules Verne made it a part of his writings. Very cool."