# 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-256

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

<current_page_ocr status="non_authoritative_hypothesis">
“Pieneer" Friday June 24 99

Left weeding about 6 this a.m. on our way te Belenga -
Abeut $ an heur belew we met Good-Will with Mr. & Mra.
Grenfell on beard. G. W. turned around & we ran up te
the side ef it. We went on te Bolengi & then met Messrs.
Farris & Dye & Dye's wife had a very pleasant little
visit & I was shown around the place - about 4:30 p.m.
we left. Camped at a weeking some 3 hours away.

“Pieneer" Saturday June 3° 99

Left about 6 this merning fer Lubanga G.B.M. where we
arrived. after an uneventful voyage all day - abeut 6
Poem. were met by Messrs. Whytesides & Stanard & had a
geed supper - after a pleasant visit after supper we
retired. Mr. Gilchrist & wife will eccupy a large stery
brick building. Mr. Nye & wife whe have just gone heme
have a fine large weeden building. New eccupied by

Mr. Whitesides A nice place & plenty of peeple en eithel
side of them. I leng te see Sephie, but centent myself
with the thought that she is in the best of hands. I
have new been away from her 3 days.

Lulanga Sunday June 4 - 99

Avery quiet & pleasant & restful day until 4 e'cleck
when we heard that the Brabant had stepped at a weeding
a shert distance belew. We at once, MCGregor, Stanard
& myself set out to ge down & see the captain and get
the mails ~ but when we get $ way we saw that she had
started & we waited until she arrived the Gapt. waved
that he weuld step at the Missien, se we hurried
Whitesides had already gone out in a canee when we got
there & the beat would land about 1 mile above & remain
there for the night. After supper I get seme beys &

& canee and went up te the beat - feund the Capt.
(Jensen) just ready te go te bed. I had a pleasant
visit with him - found out that my mail had gene te
Irebou - se Sephie will get it 1 learned alse that the
Duteh beat & 2 state beats had come in frem Kassai —
Geed news

*Pieneer" Menday June 5 ~ 99

Up bright & early - checked 50 leads fer Mack. He
discharged abeut 350 - toek en 50 - After breakfast -

8 e'cleck we started fer Beuginda. Uneventful veyage -
several tewns aleng the way. Natives all rush te the
bank te see the beat ge by ~ arrived at Beuginda sbeut
</current_page_ocr>

<previous_page_context kind="validated_structured_tail" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
 in for
Croquet. Some had started to play when a Lieut. of the
State came in to get a larger canoe. He is to capture
or whip an influential mean chief after he left I joined
the game & Mrs. Clark and I had the pleasure of beating
MᶜG. & his girl - the steamer will leave at 6 tomorrow
a.m. this p.m. Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Crowley Mr. Morrey &
myself went out for a canoe ride - away up a small bayou
back of dark place - We had hoped to see an elephant
which had been killed but it was too far away we
returned just at dark. Now I have packed up & will say
good-night. I am sorry to be going but it is about my
only opportunity, and Sophie has such nice people to
stay with.

This a.m. about 8 o'clock MᶜG & I had our loved ones fare
well at Ikoko & started on our way for Benguida. After
3 hours we got out of the lake into the channel leading
to Irebow where the lake is united with the Congo River.
We met some men whom MᶜG had left for wood. A canoe full-
took men & wood on board & resumed our voyage. Again
near Irebow we picked up another lot of men & wood.
Arrived at Irebow we paid our comp. to the Commissaire
& others giving a Lieutenant a letter to take back to
Sophie. Having finished we started for Bolengi. We met
Mr. Banks with H. Reed about 2 hours from Irebow-stopped
& chatted awhile. He had run on a snag & damaged the
bottom of the boat so much that he will have to stop at
Bolobo a day or two to fix it. We camped about 4 hours
above Irebow where some more men had been getting wood.
</previous_page_context>

<next_page_context kind="raw_ocr_head" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
5 e'cleck - met by Mr. Armstrong & wife, Messra. Morgan
& Beudet I came eut en the same ship frem England with
Armstreng I was very glad te see him but he met me as
theugh it was an eld thing. Ne demenstratien. Ne cen-
versatien. Morgan hewever was very different He was all
welceme It did me geod to see him. Had supper with
him & M°G and visited with Mergan & chatted ever eld
times at Tumba until abeut 10 e'cleck. Bouginda is a
lew flat statien. it rains freequently. ene large brick
heuse 2 steries - where the Engineers live. Mr. Arm
atreng & wife & Miss Gerk live in a nice ene steri brick
heuse with averandah all abeut it. I have net found
where Mr. Boudet stays. He seems te be a very busy bedy.
Mergan expressed himself as serry Mrs. Crewley did net
ceme. I have not met Miss Cerk yet. They say she is
very reserved & never speaks te men, being afraid she
may have a prepesal —- and she would net like te refuse
yeu knew (7) If I could enly be with Sephie tonight!

I miss her so much. I shall say geed night te her in
leving theughts and take a leok at her from my lecket.

I em wearing her watch tee.

Benginda Tuseday June 6 ~ 99

Up this a.m. feeling well except a cold which I caught,
semehew, yesterday Had a leek areund thi statien.
Morgan is making bricks. I saw Bonjari, the boy whe
came out with Mr. Armstrong - quite a man new. Semewhat
ef a failure ~ Has been to Eng. but did not prefit much
by his stay there ~ petted tee much ~ new dinner time
After dinner I did net de much
</next_page_context>

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