Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-04-07
TAKING THE CENSUS.
How the Electric Calculation Helps Ad-
ding Up the Figures.

HOW the ElecCf1c CALCULATION helpS AL
ding Up the Figures.
The facts in relation to population
and vital statistics, upon reaching the
census bureau, are all counted by cleo
tricity, which does the work almost
without assistance. 1t is estimated
that in the compiling of tables the ma
chine employed saves three-fourths of
what would otherwise be the labor in
volved and three-fourths of TIE time.
To begin with, there is a little pencil
of steel on the end of metal arm a
foot or so long, which is so arranged
that you can push the pencil in any
direction above a celluloid plate that
is full of small round holes, just big
enough to allow the pencil to be thrust
into them.
Each of the holes has a letter or fig
ure close by it to distinguish it from
the others. Now the operator inserts
MANILA paper card in a holder just
back of the movable arm, and, taking
in his left hand one of the original
enumerator's schedules, holds the steel
pencil in his right hand and proceeds
to business.
The name of the person on the
schedule is Peter Fish, but that is not
worth counting, for Mr.. Fish is hence
forth to be regarded from the statisti-
cal point of view merely as unit. He
lived in Ward 1, and accordingly the
operator jabs the steel pencil down
into little hole marked ''1' in one of
the divisions of the celluloid plate. Al
so he was white-another hole punch
d-male-another hole-56 years of
age-another hole-born in Germany
another hole-his father likewise
another hole-his mother ditto-an-
other hole-his occupation was that of
a laborer-another hole-and he die d
in January-another hole-of malar-
iaI fever-another hole. That is all
there is about Fish; SO the card previ-
ously inserted is removed from the
holder, and it is found to be punched
with number of round holes in diff
ferent places. From that card, with
nothing on it or in it but the said
holes, a practiced hand can read about
Mr.. Fish and his history as easily as
from tbs original schedule; for the po
siIioD-of the holes gives the meaning
to be conveyed. But the Specification
of each hole does not have to be read
by human intelligence. Electricity
does that, and counts the facts record
ed by the holes as well.
The punched card is laid in the bot
tom of a tray which has holes in it
corresponding to those in the celluloid
plate. These holes are filled nearly
full with mercury. Above the tray is
a horizontal metal plate, which moves
up and down as directed. The metal
plate has attached to its lower side lit
tie metal plungers corresponding in
number and position with the holes in
the tray beneath. When the metal
plate is lowered, the plungers go into
the mercury filed holes and the cir
cult is complete, the continuance hay
ing an electric battery connected with
it, with a separate connection for each
hole.
But suppose card is placed in the
tray, with a dozen holes in it here and
there, fitting exactly over the holes to
which they correspond in the tray, it
be stopped by the card, save those VINO
find the holes, thus completing only
the corresponding circuits. Each of
the circuits thus completed connects
with sort of electric clock-a small
affair-which counts numbers on its
dial instead of hours and minutes.
The clocks communicated with give
one tick forward apiece, thus noting
the fact that one more man, say, was a
laborer, born in Germany, died in Jan
uary, etc.
If Mr.. Fish's history had been diff
ferent other holes would have been
originally punched in the card, other
clocks would have licked, and the
sums finally recorded from the
clocks, which cannot make mistakes,
would have been slightly altered. In
asmuch as each of the possible 800
holes has its counting clock attached
when the metal plate comes down on
the card, nothing can be missed. One
clock will count 9, 999 before it has to
be started over again. The sums re-
corded by the clock are taken down on
papsr slips and from them transferred
to the tables for publication. Such is
the electric method of counting a CEN
sus.-Rene Bache in Savannah News