Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-07

4
coRDISa-AS ELECTRICAL COUNTING MACHINE.
An important part of the mortality and vital
statistics which will appear in the returns OF
the coming census is now nearing completion.
In order that these statistics might be as widely
useful rs possible it was decided to include
| the statistics for the five years pre-
] cedlnS May 81 next in certain cities where
| the records of deaths. DC, were kept up. The
| vital statistics for the census year ending July
| Will be collected by the census enumerators
and will apply to the entire country. DIR. John
| 5. Billings, who has charge of this work,
thought and superintendent Porter agreed
with him, that the returns of deaths for
one year owing to various causes would not give
a satisfactory basis upon which to found deduc-
hons. 1t was, therefore, decided to take the
returns gathered by the sanitary authorities in
| number of the principal cities and tabulate
them Tor live years and print them as a part OF
the report Of the census.
AGENTS NOW AT WORK.
This work is now being done. Agents of the
Census Office are at work in Boston, New York,
Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Wash
ington compiling the vital statistics as gath
cred by the local authorities. Owing to
changes made in the wards the statistics
gathered in Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis
will only be for fraction of the five years.
! The entire state OF New Jersey will be included
In this inquiry, as the work of the state board
OF health, which receives monthly reports from
all parts of the state, enables the census au-
thorities to obtain the statistics of the entire
state as conveniently as those of a leading city
In that state.
By PUNCHING HOLES IN CARDS.
The agents of the Census Office engaged in
this work instead of filling out long schedules
with names, dates, &C., are following simpler
method, which ia n part of the new electrical
system of tabulatlOn which is to be tried in the
present census. What is known as a stamping
machine is used, which has face something
like a type writer, only, in place of keys there
are holes. Each OF these holes is clearly desig-
mated and the operator, using punch attached
| to the machine, but which moves freely over the
| face, punches into a card lying beneath round
holes. These holes always mean the same
thing, as the cards of the
same size. A card with number
of rounded apertures in it when taken from
| this stamping machine is read by an expert and
| informs him that a certain individual named
In the schedule was white or black or Chinese,
\ Indian, DC, the sex, age. place of birth. pro-
fession, trade or occupation and a number Of
other interesting facts which statisticians want
to know about those who have died.
TO BE COUNTED By ELECTRICITY.
These cards are arranged by counties or san
itary districts and sent to this city, where Mr..
| Hollerith, the inventor, is having put up in a
large room in the Census Office a number of
| ingenious machines with which he proposes to
| do the counting and the tabulation of the 1t
census by electricity. The chief of the division,
Mr.. W. A. King, is now arranging the cards re-
| ceived from the agents and preparing to run
them through the machine. He expects to be
| able to know in short time how many
people died in these various places dur
| ing the past five years and
| nf dat
| When he has a number of cards of certain
| county or district, each one representing an
individual now dead and he wants to know
how many died OF a certain age and other facts
| he begins to feed the cards into machine.
| LOOKS LIKE PIANO.
| This machine looks something like an up-
| right piano. Above what would be the key board
in the space which contains the vital organs of
| a piano there are a number of small dials
| which are seen beneath pane of glass.
\ These dials record what the cards have
! To say. The cards are slipped III brass
| platform and a pad containing a lot of needle
| like projections is brought down on it, When
there is hole IN the card the needle slips
through. When there is none the needle is
pressed back. Those that go through.
however, are plunged into bath
of mercury where the electrical
| connection between the needle and
| the dial is broken and the hands on the dial
| move one point. A number of dials can record
| at one and the same time, SO that large class
| of facts can readily be recorded The face of
| the dial shows how the record stands at any
time and the figures can be taken off. 1t is
claimed that the tabulation of re-
turns can be made not only more rapidly
but more accurately than by actual count
| BY skillful electrical connection box full OF
pigeon holes at the side Of the operator Of the
machine can be used to place the cards when
taken from the machine. so that they will be
accurately assorted.