The punched cards are then tabulated on the machine shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. It consists of three main parts, namely. the press or circuit-closing device, the dials or counters, and the sorting boxes. Above a bard-rubber plate swings a reciprocating pin box, which is pro vided with a number of projecting spring-actuated points, so hong as to drop exactly into the center of the lit tle mercury cups below. These pins are so con nected 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 really closed through platinum contacts at the back of the press, not shown in the ent. In way no difficulty is expe rienced from the oxidation o the mercury from the spark as would be the case without this precau tion, The dials are shown in detail in Fig. 4, and may also be seen grouped in position in Fig. 5. The front of each counter is 3 in. square, and, as now made, consists of paper ingen iously coated with celluloid, ensuring a smooth, bright, clean face. Each did is divided into 100 parts, and two hands travel over the face, one counting units and the other hundreds. The train of clockwork is operated electrically by means of the eleetro-magnet, whose arma ture, as it moves each time the circuit is closed, carries the unit hand forward one division, while every complete revolution actu ates a carrying device, which, in turn, causes the hundred hand to count. In this way cacti dial will register up to 10,000. A noteworthy feature of these ingenious little dials is that they can quickly be reset at zero, while they are also removable and interchangeable. The electrical connections are made simply by slipping them into frames and clips.
The third element in the system is the sorting box, shown in Fig. 6 in perspective. The box is divided into numerous compart ments, each of which is kept closed by a lid. The lid is held closed against the tension of a spring by a catch at the free end of the arma ture of a suitable magnet. if the circuit through this magnet is closed. by the press on the machine, the armature is pulled down, releasing the trigger of the lid, which is at once thrown up by the spring, and remains open until flipped back by a slight touch of the operator's hand. The connections with the 111fleilille are made by means of the short table seen at the left of lhesuitingbox. lathe cut the wires are shown attached to binding posts on a small board. but a minor change has been made by which the board is pushed in lmtween contact clips in the machine, thus saving valuable time by obviating the necessity of screwing and unscrewing so many binding posts whenever it is desired to remove the box for any reason.
If, now, it is desired to know in a given enumeration district, or all of them, the number of males and females, white and colored, single, married. widowed, etc., the binding posts of the switchboard corresponding with this data arc connected with the binding posts of the dials on which these items are to he counted. If it is also desired to assort the cards according to age groups, for example, the binding posts of the switchboard representing such groups are connected with the clips into which the sorting box plug fits. The circuits being thus
prepared, when a card is placed in position in the press, and the handle of the pin box is depressed by the operator so that the circuit is closed through each hole in the card, not only will the registration be effected on the counting dials, but the sorting box that has been selected for a given age group is opened. The operator releases the handle, removes the card deftly from the press, deposits it in the open sorting compartment with her right hand and pats the lid down again, at the same time bringing another ca-rd into position under the press with her left hand. It is done much more quickly than it is described. When all the cards in the tin case of any district have thus gone through the press, the record taken from the dials will show the number of males, females, white, colored, etc., while the cards will have been assorted into age groups.
The machine, however, is capable of more than this. In statistical work it is found that the most valuable information does not consist in these elementary items, but in facts that are more difficult to obtain, namely, combinations of these items. Thus, it is interesting to know how many dwellers in this country are males and how many are females ; also how many are white, and how many are colored. But it is at least as essential to know how many of the white males are native born or foreign born, and how many are the children of native horn or foreign parents. Hence it is desirable to provide means for counting not simply the number of white males, but the number of white males, native born, of native parents. The machines do this as easily as they do the lighter work. The principle of the relay is brought into play by means of instruments which are mounted together in the racks at the bottom of the machine. In the case just suggested the wire is brought from the binding post of the switch-board corresponding to male to one contact of the relay operated from the binding post corresponding to white. From this relay the circuit runs to another relay operated from the binding posts that correspond to native birth-places. Thence again the circuit goes to the relay operated by the binding post that corresponds to native born father, thence again to the relay operated by the binding post corresponding to native mother ; and finally to a counter. It will be seen, therefore, that the counter will only be operated when a card which has been punched for "native," " white," "male," "native born father," "native born mother," and of the given age, is put under the press. If the card is not so punched the circuit remains open at one or more points, and no counting is effected. Evidently the most complex coin bination can he effected in this manner. An elementary manner of building tip the com bination is shown in diagram in Fig. 7. It is simply a question of arranging the counting dials and the relays, or, if desired, the sorting boxes can be treated in the same way. NWhen the machine is once connected up, the combination sought yields its results just as readily as though it were a single item.