Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
CENSUS
Description Of the Meet nical Means
Employed.s
OPERATION OF 7ABULAHG MACHINE
Eighty Million Cards toBe Punched
by an Army of Clerks.
SIGNIFICAN CEOF HOLES

Superintendent George E. Boos of the
printing division of the twelfth census has
| compiled an interesting statement of the
mechanical part of the census which is now
| almost on the eve of being taken. 1t refers
especially to the tabuating machine which
records the information in concrete form OF
the interesting and instructive features OF
the population of the United States. 1t will
require S0,000,o0o cards to do the work;
| these will be handled and punched by
| temporary army of clerks, which, it is esti-
mated, will accomplish the vast undertake
ing In about eight months
Each card is fed through several devices
the first, keyboard punch-and is perfo-
rated by symbols just as the schedule rep
resen:s each individual that is taken by the
$1,000 enumerators. giving his district, Ian
guage. color, literacy, sex, months unen-
ployed. age, occupation. conjugal condition,
birthplace. etc. This work will be done by
an army of clerks acting In the capacity of
punchers. tabulators and sorters.
The enormity of this undertaking can
hardly be realized. Each card is handled
number of times. These SO.O00,U1 if piled
on top of one another would extend over
nine miles. 1t became necessary to invent
the best labor and time-saving device that
brain could produce: The following is de-
scription of the three principal parts of
these almost human machines:
keyboard Punch.
The keyboard punch is about the size of
a typewriter tray, having in front a per-
forated punch board of celluloid. Over this
keyboard swings freely a sharp index
finger, whose movement, after the manner
of a pantagraph is repeated at the rear by
punch The movement of the punch Is
limited between two guides upon which are
placed thin manila cards 63s inches long by
34 inches high, with the lower corner
slightly clipped. The keyboard has twelve
rows of twenty holes. and each hole has
Its distinctive lettering or number that cor
responds to the inquiry and answer re-
dex finger depressed down into any one of
these holes the punch stamps out hole in
the manila card. The keyboard is scien-
tifically grouped, and it is very readily
learned For such inquiries as are an
swered by one of a very few possible
classes-sex, for example, which recognizes
only two parties In the state-the answer is
simply male or female or M or
F. So. too, in regard to conjugal re-
lationship, where the sanswer would be
either single, married. widowed or divorced.
These holes roles may &c easily be found in p
answers would cover a wider range of
classification, in age, running from l to
100, recourse is had to a combination of
two holes, the first indicating a group, as
from % to - years, while the second hole
designateS the detail single year in that
group
How birthplace is Recorded.
The birthplace is recorded by punching
first the general nativity, either en- for
native or 'F for foreign. The particular
country of birth is recorded by punching
one of the holes indicated in the lower lines
of the symbols for birth places on the card.
Thus, Sc" for Scotland oh for China,
HUI for Hungary, FIR for France, etc.
nection with F. for general nativity would
mean France but the same hole punched
according to the upper symbol. sc. in
connection with On for general nativity,
would mean South Carolina BY this sim
pie means the birthplaces indicated in
half the space that would otherwise be re-
qutred on the card.
A clerk punching the card for an agrcul-
tural district has but few symbols to bother
about. 1t will thus be seen that these in
nocent combinations are no more burden
some on the memory than the details of q
typewriter keyboard.
Familiarity with Combination.
So familiar do the clerks become with the
position of the holes in these cards they
can read them off at a glance. AS means
of verifying, however, a reading board is
provided for that purpose. the same size
authorizations in a quarter-inch space,
that when perforated card is put on this
temrlet the abbreviation will show wher-
ever a hole has been punched.
These wonderful little cards have now
come to stand for over 10,GO,0OO persons.
Each card is not only full of holes, but has
It's number and is ready for the next stage
of treatment. when each of the holes will
tell Its story in just the same manner
the perforations in an organette strip will
cause certain notes of music to be played.
The Electric TnbuIatins Machine.
The electric tabulating machine consists
of three main parts namely, the press or
circuit-closing device, the dials or counters
and the sorting boxes The press consists
of a hard rubber plate, provided with 316
holes pockets. the relative positions of
which correspond with those of the holes
in the keyboard and gang punches. Each
of these pockets is partially filled with mer-
curry. and they are thus in electrical con-
nection, when the circuit is closed, with
the binding posts and switchboard at the
back of the machine. Above the hard rub
Der plate swings reciprocating pin box
which Is provided with number of pro-
jecting spring ted points hung as
to drop exactly into the center of the little
mercury cups below. These pins are SO
connected that when a punched card is
laid on the rubber plate against the guides
or stops and the box is brought down all
the pins that are stopped by the unpunched
surface will be pressed back while those
that correspond with punched spaces pass
through. close the circuit and count on the
dials The circuit is broken first through
platinum contacts at the back of the press
In this way difficulty is experienced
from the oxidation of the mercury from the
spark, as would be the case without this
precautiOn.
Sorting Box.
The third element in the system is the
sorting box, which is divided into numerous
compartments. each of which is kept closed
by lid. The lid is held closed against the
tension of springs by a catch at the free
end of an armature. If the circuit is closed,
by the press on the machine, through an
electromagnetic, the armature is pulled
down. releasing the trigger Of the lid, which
Is at once thrown up by the spring and re-
mains open until Tipped back by slight
touch of the operators hand. The con-
nections with the maehinesare made by
means of the short cable at1the left Of the
sorting box. Wires aresattarhed to binding
posts on a small board, but a minor change
has been made by which the board is push
ed in between contact clipstn the machine,
thus saving valuable time by obviatng the
necessity of screwing and s.ilnscrewing SO
many binding posts whenever 1t is desired
to remove the box for any reason.