Sorter for U.S. Bureau of the Census Tabulating System
date: label: date made
content: 1927
name: label: maker
content: U. S. Census Bureau
notes: label: Description
content: From 1890 through 1950, information collected in the decennial U.S. census of population was punched onto cards and compiled using tabulating machines. At first, the Bureau of the Census rented machines on the design of Herman Hollerith. Concerned by the high rental charges, the Bureau decided to develop tabulating equipment in its own shop. This horizontal card sorter is one result of that effort.
label: Description
content: The iron and steel instrument is designed for the mechanical, single-column sorting of 24-column cards. Cards are fed from the left.The device mechanically senses any one column at a time and sends cards to one of 12 pockets or, if no punch exists, into the thirteenth or reject pocket. A wooden shelf is at the front of the pockets and another one on the left side of the machine. A motor drives the sorter.
label: Description
content: As presently stored, one crate contains the sorter, and the second contains a metal piece painted black that has 12 pockets that apparently fits below.
label: Description
content: According to Museum records, the machine was first used in the processing of Vital Statistics in 1927 and then in the 1930 Census of Population. It was reconstructed in 1959.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Accession File.
label: Description
content: L. E. Truesdell, <I>The Development of Punch Card Tabulation in the Bureau of the Census 1890–1940</I>, Washington: U. S. Department of Commerce, 1965.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: District of Columbia, Washington
topic: label: web subject
content: Mathematics
label: web subject
content: Census
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Tabulating Equipment
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Transfer from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.316862
label: accession number
content: 229657
label: catalog number
content: 316862
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sorter
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: iron (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 110 cm x 183 cm x 53 cm; 43 5/16 in x 72 1/16 in x 20 7/8 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: sorter: 43 in x 72 in x 20 in; 109.22 cm x 182.88 cm x 50.8 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: sorter rack: 20 in x 45 1/2 in x 8 in; 50.8 cm x 115.57 cm x 20.32 cm