# Crowley diary faithful page transcription specification

You are transcribing one scanned physical page from a photocopy of a typewritten
transcription of J. S. Crowley's historical diaries. Produce PASS 1 only:
faithful transcription and document structure.

## Authority and scope

1. The attached current-page image is authoritative.
2. Current-page OCR is a fallible hypothesis. Correct OCR by consulting the image.
3. Neighbor context is only for detecting continuity. It must never supply text
   that is not visibly present on the current page.
4. Transcribe each visible source character as faithfully as the image allows.
   Preserve source spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, factual errors,
   incorrect dates, archaic or offensive terminology, and historical place names.
5. Do not improve, modernize, sanitize, silently correct, or complete the source.
6. Do not transcribe scan noise, binder holes, shadows, or page damage as text.
7. If no defensible reading is visible, use an `illegible` node. Never guess merely
   to avoid an uncertainty.

## Semantic structure first

Logical document blocks are the primary structure. Identify ordered headings,
standalone text, diary entries, letters, lists, tables/ledgers, annotations, gap
notices, separators, and non-textual graphical features. A diary entry or letter owns ordered semantic content
parts. Physical source lines are nested inside those blocks or parts only to
preserve diplomatic lineation, hyphenation, and evidence. Do not treat each
physical line as an independent document block.

Use a table only where columns or cell relationships are visibly meaningful. Use
a list for sequential items without a reliable column relationship. Do not infer
numeric values or repair arithmetic.

## Graphical and non-textual source features

A handwritten drawing, doodle, diagram, symbol, or other non-textual feature
that cannot meaningfully be transcribed as text must use a
`graphical_feature` block. Do not invent words for it. Record its medium,
placement, neutral observational description, page-image region when reasonably
identifiable, and related nearby block IDs when the relationship is visible.
Keep both continuation declarations `no`; graphical marks are not textual
cross-page continuations. A label that is itself readable text remains an
annotation block or part, with a related graphical-feature block for the
non-textual strokes. Descriptions must be observational, such as “Small
handwritten mark beneath the diary entry,” never speculative historical
interpretation. If a reliable bounding box cannot be supplied, use `region:
null`; do not guess coordinates.

## Physical source lines

Transcribe every visible physical text line in order. Divide each line into inline
segments only where an intervention or uncertainty requires it. Do not preserve
indentation with runs of spaces; semantic blocks, table cells, and list labels
represent layout.

For `line_end`:

- `block_end`: the logical text represented by this line collection ends here.
- `no_hyphen`: the text continues on another visible source line with no printed
  terminal hyphen; a reading renderer should join with a space.
- `hyphen_word_break`: a printed terminal hyphen exists only because a word wraps;
  omit the hyphen when joining the reading text.
- `hyphen_lexical`: a printed terminal hyphen is intentional and remains when the
  reading text is joined.
- `hyphen_uncertain`: a printed terminal hyphen is visible but its function cannot
  be determined confidently.

Do not put the terminal source hyphen itself inside the preceding text segment
when using one of the three hyphen line-end values.

Use a hyphen line-end value only when a terminal hyphen is visibly printed. Do
not add a line-end hyphen merely because a sentence, list item, or phrase
continues on the next physical line. Preserve internal source hyphens such as
`nice-pleasant` even when they appear unconventional.

## Inline distinctions

- `text`: clearly visible source text.
- `unclear`: a visible but uncertain reading. Give the best reading when possible
  and list genuinely plausible alternatives.
- `illegible`: text is present but no defensible reading can be supplied.
- `addition`: visibly added text, recording whether it is handwritten or
  typewritten and its placement.
- `deletion`: visibly cancelled text. Preserve a reading when still legible; do
  not include it in ordinary reading text. If the cancellation is visible but
  its underlying text is not defensibly readable, keep `type: deletion`, use a
  null reading, no invented alternatives, and `confidence: unreadable`.
- `correction`: an original and replacement are visibly related. Preserve both;
  do not decide that the replacement is historically true.

Confidence vocabulary:

- `high`: plainly legible with no plausible competing reading.
- `medium`: the proposed reading is likely, with a minor visual ambiguity.
- `low`: multiple readings remain plausible.
- `unreadable`: no defensible reading can be supplied.

Never invent decimal confidence scores.

## Dates and editorial interpretation

`date_source` is a literal faithful transcription of the visible heading.
`date_normalized` is separate editorial metadata:

- `normalized`: the visible date is unambiguous and only mechanical expansion or
  ISO formatting is needed.
- `inferred`: the normalized date intentionally differs from the visible source;
  supply a concise reason and qualitative confidence.
- `ambiguous`: competing normalized dates remain plausible; leave the normalized
  value null.
- `invalid`: the visible date is invalid and no responsible inference is made;
  leave the normalized value null.
- `not_normalized`: no normalization was attempted; all normalization metadata is
  null.

For both `normalized` and `inferred`, `date_normalized`,
`normalization_confidence`, and a non-empty `normalization_reason` are mandatory.
For `inferred`, the reason must state the visible conflict. If a year visibly
printed in an image conflicts with a historically plausible chronology, preserve
the printed year in `date_source` and the physical line. Put any chronology-based
alternative only in `date_normalized` with status `inferred`. Never copy an
inferred year back into faithful text.

Never alter the faithful line text to match the normalized date. Use editorial
notes for visible source mistakes, continuity questions, or consequential layout
ambiguity. Do not perform person/place identity resolution or any other PASS 2
historical interpretation.

For a `gap_notice`, represent each available range endpoint with the same complete
date object used by diary entries: `start_date` and `end_date`. Either endpoint may
be null only when it is genuinely unavailable. If the source gives `Nov. 28.` and
the year can responsibly be supplied from the range context, preserve
`date_source: "Nov. 28."`, put the year-bearing ISO value only in
`date_normalized`, use `normalization_status: "inferred"`, and explain the year
inference. Never label a context-supplied year as merely `normalized`.

## PoC regression rules and examples

- **Literal source date:** Never substitute a historically plausible date for
  the characters visible in a heading. Faithful line text and `date_source` must
  agree with the image. Any responsible alternative belongs only in separate
  `inferred` normalization metadata.
- **Intentional internal hyphen:** Preserve a visible form such as
  `nice-pleasant` exactly. It is not a line-break artifact and must not become
  `nice pleasant` or `nicepleasant`.
- **Incomplete-looking material without survival continuity:** A sentence or
  letter that looks incomplete does not automatically continue. If the next
  surviving page does not carry it forward, do not assert `to_next: "yes"` or
  duplicate an imagined continuation. Use `uncertain` only when the boundary
  evidence itself is genuinely unresolved and explain it in an editorial note.
- **Low-confidence handwriting:** When handwriting plausibly reads `Luebo` or
  `Lukbo`, use an `unclear` segment with low confidence and both alternatives (or
  a cautious best reading plus the competing alternative). Do not promote one to
  high-confidence text. If neither is defensible, use `illegible`.
- **Cross-page cancellation is not logical continuation:** A deletion stroke or
  cancellation region may continue onto the next page even when the underlying
  dated diary entry ends on the current page. Encode the deleted text within the
  closed entry and leave the entry's `to_next` as `no`; describe the continuing
  cancellation region in an editorial note rather than linking unrelated entries.
- **Small visible marks:** Preserve ditto marks, fractions such as `1/2` or `¼`,
  superscripts, punctuation, inserted characters, abbreviated notation, ticks,
  dashes, unusual ledger marks, and other meaningful small marks. Do not expand
  ditto marks, decimalize fractions, or silently omit marks merely because OCR
  missed them.

## Page boundaries and continuity

Set page-level boundary flags from visible evidence and limited neighbor context.
Each logical block separately declares whether it continues from the previous
page or to the next page. Independent page generation cannot know the future
block ID, so `continuation.previous` and `continuation.next` must always be null.
The deterministic reconciliation step will create reciprocal links only after
both adjacent pages have been processed. Never copy neighbor text onto this page.

## Mechanical output rules

- Return one JSON object matching the supplied schema and nothing else.
- Use the current page ID in every ID: blocks `pNNN-b001`, `pNNN-b002`, and so on;
  nested parts `pNNN-b001-p001`; notes `pNNN-n001`.
- Orders and source line numbers begin at 1 and are contiguous in visual order.
- For all block and part evidence objects, output exactly:
  `{"status":"not_attempted","method":null,"ocr_word_ids":[],"bbox":null,"matched_tokens":0,"total_tokens":0}`.
- Set editorial-note responsibility to `model`.
- A genuinely blank page has `page_role: "blank"`, no blocks, both boundary flags
  `no`, and no invented separator text.

## Run-specific evidence

CURRENT SOURCE PAGE: page-082

The attached image is the sole authority for text physically present on this page.

<current_page_ocr status="non_authoritative_hypothesis">
follow the disease but by 9 o'cloek pom. they were worse
& I took a good purge & retired for the night covering up
properly with blankets. I had a very bad restless night
but about 3 o'clock a.m. a reaction set in & I began to
perspire very freely. At 3:30 I took a big dose of
Quinine & again at 6. I kept very quietly all next day.
I had no fever but from the frequent evacuations of the
bowels I was very weak.

Friday - April 2"% 1896
Today still very weak but feeling much better. I remain
in the house most of the time & keep very quiet.

Sat. April 3, 1897
As yet I aa not strong but am about & still troubled with

my bowels. I went down town & posted some letters but
trudged along very slowly.

Sunday April 4 - 97

I felt so feeble I did not attend the service for the
natives this asi I went down to the Duteh House & got
dinners I did not feel like eating what I had at home.
They had a good dinner & I ate heartily. I attended the.
service in the p.m. led by Mr. Wooding & also the service
at night held & Mr. Woodings C.B.M. (communion service)
led by Mr. Morgan. There I met Mr. Rogers & wife who
have been at Stanley Pool for nearly 4 years.

Monday April 5 '97

4n old caravan or rather an old capeta with a large cara-
van came in & wanted a new license. I had no leads for
him & therefore gave him no books I have about 25 leads
for Luebo on the R.R, between here & Matadi & have been
coming. since the agrd of March, but have net yet come

in. He promised to stay 3 days & wait for thea if I
would feed him. I put him & his men to work & they dug
about 30 post holes & cut considerable grass. I had to
give thes something for coming in to carry loads anyhow
so I gave him & his men a little chop & explained to thea
about the uncertainty of the R.R. so I thought it best
for them to go to their village & come again in about 2
or 3 months. So they went off happy.

Tuesday April 6 - 97
Today I set out a lot of trees to make shade & also to
do as posts for a fence. The grd. was terribly dry and
</current_page_ocr>

<previous_page_context kind="validated_structured_tail" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
I did - & we were both taken ill at the same
time, I think he one day longer than me.

I opened up 2 barrells of crackers today that were here
when I came & they were both ruined. goods of that kind
can't come to this country packed in that way. We have
a barrel of Beef here too, but I guess that will spoil.
Verner had no business ordering things in that way. I
took supper with D. tonight ~ while there the mail train
came in ~ it is the 1ˢᵗ time we had any mail this week.
Paid off 2 caravans today, 15 men & 19 men.

Service in the a.m. for native boys as usual, led by Mr.
Wooding. Service in the p.m. as usual for theAcras &
Serra Laone's. At night we had the regular service for
the missionaries at my house, led by Mr. Pinnock - the
afternoon serve. was also led by Mr. P. I had a short
call from a Portugees & two Belgians this p.m.

Nothing of interest or worth relating today. I worked
at my house making window shutters as opportunity pre-
sented.

This was another unimportant day in my history. Did not
much but worked a little when I could, had the boys
cutting grass but they only do vert little.

Another very similar to the two that preceed it. Mr.
Popel is still very ill. It will be a hard fight for
him to pull through. May God have mercy on him & his
wife.

In the a.m. I worked some wrote some bus. letters &c.
In the p.m. I was taken with a running off of the bowels
& with chilly sensations at the same time. I paid but
little attention to it as I thought it might naturally
</previous_page_context>

<next_page_context kind="raw_ocr_head" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
hard, & I wished we would get a good soaking rain so
that the trees would stand a better chance of living.
About sunset we had quite a hard wind & when that passed
of mostly, it began to rain very hard and is now raining
hard at 9 o'clock ~ we have the soaking rain. Mr. Fepel
is still very low, so weak that he has to be hefted about
peor fellow is having a hard time of it. Good night.

Wednesday - April 7 '97
Busy planting trees & pineapples around the yard. Nothing
of interest took place during the day.

Thursday ~ April 8 - '97
Took Quinine today to keep off chill & succeeded, saw te
the planting of trees & pine apples.

Friday April 9%} 197

Worked around at various things. Was asked to conduct
the Sun. p.m. service for Bro. Popel who was very ill.
Killed a chicken & took it to the Dutch House & with my
friends I ate.

Saturday April 10 - '97

Went to Belgika & was speaking with Dr. LeGras when I
sprung the subject of paint on him. We had in our store
6 drums of paint & 2 drums of tar that was not needed so
I sold them to the Dr. & the amt. was 413°° frs, A good
Geal I'm sure I have sold one to the Dutch House & one
to B.M.S. making 8 drums of paint & 2 drums tar. I have
cleared all expenses on it - & it is lucky I sold it for
it w'd be a dead loss.

Sunday April 11 - '97

Went down to see my Dutch friend & Mr. Ohlenschleiger
promised to come to dinner with me. He came & we had a
good dinner & a pleasant visit. He promised to come again
to service but he did not. I led the
</next_page_context>

Return only the JSON object required by the supplied output schema.
