# 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, and separators. 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.

## 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.
- `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-059

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

<current_page_ocr status="non_authoritative_hypothesis">
Wednesday Feb. 3 - 1897

After breakfast, Messrs. Lagerin, Sjarholm and I went
to Matadi. I had quite a time getting a man to go into
the Ry. magazine to get out a little box of cartridges.
I found one however & carried them to the boat. I then
went to P.O. & left a message for P.M. to hold my mail -
not sent it to Tumba ~ we went over to Clippingdales and
found Bros. Hays & James (the latter col.) very sick
with fever. Bro. C. asked me to stay with him & help
nurse. I did so. Hays had Bilious attack - called in
physician - and we sueceeded in reducing his fever and
indications are better. I reduced James temperature to
normal ~ when he went to sleep & I left him for the
night. I slept in Bro. Harvey's bed.

Thursday Feb. 4 — 97

This am. after a refreshing sleep, I found James in
good cond. normal ~ gave him 12 rs. Quinine and left
him comfortably. Went down & had chop. Mrs. Hays went
up to the other house and occupied Bro. Harvey's bed -
the one I had vacated this a.m. and slept all day. I
took charge of Hayes and after giving him a warm sponge
bath & fixing him nicely in bed he went to steep &
slept nearly all day. About 5 pem. the Tenriff English
Steamer came in. I helped. Hays to the window to get a
peep at her. You see he is anxious for she is the one
to England for he is on his way home. About 3 pom.
James' fever went up again and we had quite a time
reducing his temperature. On the Teneriff came Mr. &
Mrs. Cramer from America, missionaries of the I.M.A.
(International Missionary Alliance) & Mr. Smith from
Boma ~- he had been to Boma to see a fellow worker married
the couple went back from Boma through the country on
foot while he came to Matadi on ship. Mr. & Mrs. Cramer
& Gaith are going to Ngangila a station about 6 hours
walk - from Londe - whis is about 18 miles. For the
C.B.M..- (Congo Bololo Mission) A Frenchman ~ Domenjoz ~
came, he had been on Congo before for 3 years. He was
converted under the missionary influence. About 10
o'clock p.m. I gave James a sponge bath with very hot
water and covered him up with lots of blankets and left
Mon's Domenjoz to wait on him. I left instructions what
to do, and I went again to Mr. Harvey's bed and had a
goodnight's rest.
</current_page_ocr>

<previous_page_context kind="validated_structured_tail" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
ngdale
and Mr. James came down to dinner, but Mr. & Mrs. Hays
did not. Just as they were starting Mr. Hays took fever
and could not come, so of course Mrs. H. could not
either. Just after they came Mr. Gardner of I.M.A. from
NGanglia came and he is here now waiting the arrival of
Mr. & Mrs. Cramer from America. I went to Matadi late
this p.m. indeed too late to have my gun attended to-
but was fortunate enough to have all arrangements made
for morning. Good night.

Tuesday Feb. 2 - 1897
After breakfast this a.m. I went to Matadi and had a
lot of goods carried from the storehouse to the baggage
room where it was checked as excess baggage and then
bought a 2nd class ticket for boy to accompany it to
Tumba tomorrow. I then went up to the P.O. and finished
doing the business for my gun & Morrison's I then came
back to Londe and packed up Bro. Morrison's box and by
that time dinner was ready. I began packing up my box
right away after dinner and was about ready to nail on
the lid when Bro. Lagerin came in and wanted to buy my
rifle. I got it out and sold it to him. A little later
Mr. Lagerin and I went up to the steamer which had just
come in (Albertville) he thought that there might be
some missionaries on board as he was looking for some but
no passengers except a lot of state men. I met Mrs.
Clippingdale & James on board. Just after supper Bro.
Scherhorn a Sweedish Bro. from an up country station
came in. There are now six of us here at Londe - they
keep coming in - Good night.
</previous_page_context>

<next_page_context kind="raw_ocr_head" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
Friday Feb. 5*2 1897

On waking this a.m. about 6 o'clock I went to James room
and found that the nurse had gone so I took his tempera-
ture, about 6:30 and found thet he had only degree of
fever. I saw that it had gone down one degree in 2 hours
so I gave him 16 gr. Quinine an left him for chop. After
breakfast I went back to see him and found that his
fever had risen a little - but I eould do nothing for
him then, so 1 went with Mr. C. to the steamer and there
I met Messrs. Wescott Brothers - one came out with
Morrison & myself from Antwerp the other was to have
met us at Las Palmas but arrived 2 days behind time so
he came on the Thekla Bolhen and they both stopped at
Boma until this ship Teneriff when they came up with

the others from Boma. Mr. Wescott had had a slight
fever just before leaving Boma & his brother was very
careful with him, but the first night they were on

board (which was night before last) the other one took
fever and is still down, on board shipe I made a small
purchase from the store on board, for all the Eng. ships
have goods to sell, and there was the custom office to
receive the tariff for you have to pay duty on every
thing you buy on board. I then came down to Londe &
met Mr. & Mrs. Cramer & Mr. Smith, for I had not seen
them before and we had a good dinner here I am now. I
may be called on any moment to go up and help Bro. G.
again with the sick people. About 3 o'clock bro. C.
came after me and I went back with him. Messrs. Wescott
Bros two men
</next_page_context>

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