Zone Policeman 88
Encyclopedia
Zone Policeman 88: a close range study of the Panama Canal and its workers is a non-fiction book written by Harry A. Franck
published in 1913. Franck, a travel writer
who had produced a highly successful 1910 travelogue Vagabond Journey Around the World, took a position as a police officer
in the Panama Canal Zone
, reporting his experiences and observations in a book that proved, like his debut, popular. The book was generally critically well-received.
force, helping to patrol the workers assigned to the Panama Canal Zone. There, he helped keep peace as plain-clothesman
but also served administrative duties, including as a census
enumerator.
lauded the author as "a born story-teller and a born tramp", the combination of which gives "something worth while" to the reader; "In this book, which is full of speaking pictures, the reader gets not only a picture of the Canal Zone as seen by the curious tourist in a hurry, but the life and spirit of all the great engineering country." According to The New York Times, it gave "a new view of the whole [Panama Canal] affair that is piquantly human." The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
in its review agreed that "his account is chiefly notable for its intimate picture of the men who handle the steam shovels, tamp the dynamite cartridges, build the concrete locks, and run the never-ending procession of earth trains. He has seen them under all conditions, and his observations, tinged as they always are, with genuine humor, strike a human note, especially when he recounts his experiences among the West Indians."
By contrast, Preferred List of Books for Township and High School Libraries in the State of Michigan described the book as "entertaining", but said that "[h]is impressions are very definite, his experiences well told, but as a whole, the book makes a rather slight contribution and has little if any permanent value."
Harry A. Franck
Harry Alverson Franck, better known as Harry A. Franck was an American travel writer during the first half of the 20th century....
published in 1913. Franck, a travel writer
Travel literature
Travel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
who had produced a highly successful 1910 travelogue Vagabond Journey Around the World, took a position as a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
in the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
, reporting his experiences and observations in a book that proved, like his debut, popular. The book was generally critically well-received.
Overview
Franck, who had supported himself as a teacher prior to the success of his first travelogue, took a three month job on the Canal Zone PoliceCanal Zone Police
The Canal Zone Police was a force that consisted of more than 400 police officers of all ranks split into two Divisions, Atlantic and Pacific, and between about 25 stations...
force, helping to patrol the workers assigned to the Panama Canal Zone. There, he helped keep peace as plain-clothesman
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
but also served administrative duties, including as a census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
enumerator.
Reception
The book was generally critically well received. The American Review of ReviewsReview of Reviews
The Review of Reviews was a noted family of monthly journals founded in 1890-93 by British reform journalist William Thomas Stead...
lauded the author as "a born story-teller and a born tramp", the combination of which gives "something worth while" to the reader; "In this book, which is full of speaking pictures, the reader gets not only a picture of the Canal Zone as seen by the curious tourist in a hurry, but the life and spirit of all the great engineering country." According to The New York Times, it gave "a new view of the whole [Panama Canal] affair that is piquantly human." The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is the public library system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its main branch is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and it has 19 branch locations throughout the city...
in its review agreed that "his account is chiefly notable for its intimate picture of the men who handle the steam shovels, tamp the dynamite cartridges, build the concrete locks, and run the never-ending procession of earth trains. He has seen them under all conditions, and his observations, tinged as they always are, with genuine humor, strike a human note, especially when he recounts his experiences among the West Indians."
By contrast, Preferred List of Books for Township and High School Libraries in the State of Michigan described the book as "entertaining", but said that "[h]is impressions are very definite, his experiences well told, but as a whole, the book makes a rather slight contribution and has little if any permanent value."
External links
- Zone Policeman 88 at Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
- Zone Policeman 88 at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...