# 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-253

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

<current_page_ocr status="non_authoritative_hypothesis">
went back te Mr. Scriviner's & Mra. Crewley visited
Mrs. Whitehead - then Mr. James Clark came up & we went
te see his new heuse & over te his residence ~ after a
nice little visit we went to the beat and abeut 10
e'cleck we went sway we camped at the French Side te
get wood - & Mr. Banks with Henry Reed caught up with
us & we camped tegether.

“Pieneer" Wednesday May 24 - 99

Diarrhea net much better ~ but getting on fairly well -
left very early this a.m. Nothing of impertance hap-
pened. We camped about 1$ hours belew “Lakelela." Mr.
Whitehead's old place. I did net get up, but we went.
en in the night and arrived at "“Lekalela® about 12 mid-
night - the men went out & got seme chep - after which
we went en, and being now, Thursday, we camped again
fer the night 3 hours below New Ereba where there is a
native Evangelist.

Thursday May 25 - 99

Pioneer Friday May 26 - 99

Abeut 10 ecleck we arrived at New Irebe - we went up te
see Frank's place - he has a seheol &c — some geed tewns
near by - About an hour later Mr. Banks came on both
steamers teok wook - 4 o'clock we left - just as a ster
commenced - ene man had a great gash sawed with a cress~
cut saw in his arm & I sowed it & dressed the wound -— 3
stitches we camped fer the night some hours belew Irabe
preper.

*Pieneer® Saturday May 27 - 99

We left about 6 ecleck this aom. we could have left
earlier, but we theught Mr. Banks was behind us & would
catch up se we waited on him After we had sailed abevt
35 heurs we saw him stepped alittle way belew the mouth
ef the Sanga River ~ a cathelic mission there - se we
steamed en - and shortly after we passed we saw the Reed
steaming eut. We arrived at Irebo 12:55 pom. and waited
there 40 minutes. We did what business there was with
the Commissaire & just as we started eff we saw the Reed
steaming around the peint. Mr. M°Greger left some men
there te go en the Reed, some 4 heurs up te cut wed —

we teek en a little wood at the state wooding past, then
we drepped seme men acress the channel at anether weeding
place te remain until the steamer weuld come back. We
</current_page_ocr>

<previous_page_context kind="validated_structured_tail" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
ther out in the woods for
service it was grand to hear Congo voices on a Sunday
p.m. singing come to Jesus, The Great physician.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus &c. we had a nice walk
on the sandy beach. About 10 p.m. the men went out to
get wood & after getting enough to run a day we started
about 4:00 o'clock a.m. We were ready to start for
Tchinberie.

"Pioneer" Congo river - Monday May 22 - 99
About 4:00 o'clock this a.m. we started & arrived at
Tchimb. about 8 - wood was not good & steam was low -
before we arrived we saw the "Henry Reed" leaving -
we had breakfast with Mr. & Mrs. Christopher after which
we were shown about the place by Madam, a most lovely
church -
Reed. Had a nice lively time racing - for awhile -
we stopped at an island and took on a little wood about 12
o'clock. After which we ran on again to about 9 o'clock
at night, passing the Reed again.

Pioneer Tuesday May 23 - 99
Men put on wood all night and about 5 o'clock we left -
could have gone earlier but Mr. MᶜGregor wished to see
the Reed start off 1ˢᵗ. After she passed us we started
and we arrived at Bolobo about 15 min. later than she.
This is a fine station after breakfast on boat at Bolobo,
we went up to Mr. Grenfell's house - found Mrs. G. sick.
Mrs. Crowley went in to see her. He had been having
diarrhea on the way & I got a dose of Castor Oil for
myself. After a visit with Mr. Grenfell he took us up
to Mr. Scrivener's and then we went to see the printers
& printing offices & book binders place -
</previous_page_context>

<next_page_context kind="raw_ocr_head" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
went on farther and cut woed - eneugh te take us te the
mouth ef the Lake = there Mr. M°Greger buried a man whe
had died this a.m. I retired & when we arrived at the
mouth ef lake we cut woed again te take us te Mr. Clark!;
place

Tkeke Sunday May 28 - 99

We traveled all night including the weed-cutting which
was about 2/3 ef the time and arrived at Mr. Clark's
place at 4 e'cleck this asm. we are glad te reach here.
About 7 e'cleck Mr. Clark came eut with a canee fer us

I had just dressed & Sephie was dressing - se as seen
as she was ready we teok what things we had that were
packed and went over te his heuse there we met his wife.
A levely Scetch lady who made us feel at heme at ence.
A little later their adepted daughter Lena came in. Mr.
Murry ef C.B.M. is here for a few days to regain his
health; I was net feeling very well se did net ge te
service. Mrs. 0. went & all the ethers I had a nap en
the sefa & was much refreshed ~ the day was spent very
pleasantly, merning prayers, service fer natives. After
dinner Sephie went out with Miss Lena te the tewns &

saw hew she conducted services ~ Fine statien - fine
site - large lake in frent, jelly family - goed werkers-
& blessed richly by the Lerd.

Ikeke A.B.M.U. Menday May 29 - 99

After breakfast this a.m. we had prayers - were shown
ever the place - went inte the scheel ~ heard the beys
ané girls read. In the p.ms had seme savr sap (ex heart)
very dilicieus fruit - very large with sticker en it
the inside when taken eut i
</next_page_context>

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