The age-herald., 1899-08-03
TO COUNT THE
 CENSUS RETURNS

Washington. July sl-1t has been practi- cally decided to make the count of the twelfth census by the Hollerith tabulating machines, according to the report of the commission of experts appointed for the purpose of comparing the work done by various s.'stems of tabulation offered by inventors. Some GOO or more of tlese won derful machines will be operated day and night in tabulating the returns from the O,000 enumerators. The system is at onco simple and yet complex It is complex in the great result and simple in the operat- ton. A card is punched full of holes in one machine, and then run through an- other. In the two movements everything relating to an individual which has been gleaned by the enumerator has been trans ferred to dias which are capable of re- cording the characteristics of similar in dividuas up to the number of 10000 Thin manila cards 64 by 5A inches are placed in the punching machine. which has d Keyboard similar in appearance to that of an enlarged typewriter. This keyboard has twelve banks of keys, with twenty keys on each bank. The characters are grouped so that the operator can easily find the single character which will denote, for in stance. the single or married state of an individual. All the characters relating to the marital relations are grouped together, representing single. married widow or Wfdower, or divorced. Other groups are arranged in a similar manner.
 In marking the keys the best possible abbreviations have been made, such as Dv. for divorced. MT. for married and Sg. for single. In some cases, however, abbrevia- tions could not be arranged for long classi- fications, and letters, or symbols are used. As the operator becomes acquainted with these signs by constant use, it is not long before he or she becomes so familiar with the 240 characters that almost an incredi- ble number of cards can be correctly punched in very short time. One of the expert clerks in the last census read 1907 cards in one day and maintained an aver age of 1856 cards for a week. This was done in day of six and one-haf hours and included nine different readings. Some of the women tabulators counted over 5O00O people per day, and the average was 47,950. From 800 to 700 cards were punched daily by each clerk and some averaged over 1000. The slip furnished by the enumerator is placed before the operator of the punching machine. Behind the keyboard lies the card and above it swings an instrument resembling an awl. When this is placed over the proper character and pressed down the punch at the back makes a hole in the proper place. So expert do the oper- atives become that card, which to the ordinary observer is merely card with a number of holes scattered about, is to them the brief biography of an individual, giving his nationality, sex age, etc.
 From the punching machines these cards go to the gang-punch, which is used to stamp on the card a combination of holes indicating the enumeration district in which the person to whom the card belongs resides. From three to six cards can be punched at a time in this punch, from which fact it derives its name. Should there be any doubt as to the correctness with which a card is punched, 1t can be placed over a "reading board" which Is a card of the size of the perforated card with characters similar to those on the keyboard, so the perforations in the card show exactly what characters were em- pIoyed in punching it. Should card be punched wrong, in that the sex was omitted or the age, etc., the counting ma chine would discover the error because all the proper holes not being punched the electric circuits would not be complete and tha machine would refuse to count the card
 The tabulation machine consists of three main parts-the press, or circuit closing device; the dials. or counters, and the sort ing boxes The first consists of hard rub Der plate, containing 516 holes or pockets. the relative positions of which correspond to those of the holes in the keyboard and gang-punches. Each of these pockets is partially filled with mercury and when the circuit is complete they are in connection with the switchboard in the rear Above the card swings reciprocating pin box with pins arranged so as to fit in the cen ter of the cups, partially filled with mer- curry. When this pin box is pressed down upon a punched card, fitted over with the rubber plate, those pins which find holes pass through the card ana complete the
  enough to find a hole are pressed backward and their circuits not being completed they fail to register count. The dials con- sist of cardboard, covered with celluloid. and each dial has two hands, the one count ing up to 100 and the other counting she hundreds up to 1000 By arranging the circuits the dials can be prepared so that only certain ones will register. This method is employed when, for example, 1t Is desired to know how many white males there are in a certain district over 21 years of age. Having set the combination properly, the cards are run through the machine. Every time the combination fits the card is reg istered and the lid of a sorting box flies open, into which the operation slips the card, replacing the lid with touch of the finger. The cards remaining are passed through the machine for other groupings until all are arranged as desired.
 By this ingenious device it is possible 10 count all the white males of foreign birth, or of native birth. those born of GeggoaA