# 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.

## 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.

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.

## 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-026

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

<current_page_ocr status="non_authoritative_hypothesis">
Dec. 18 = Friday

Getting a little after sunrise I went out on deck to find
Morrison sitting there in the sunshine enjoying the beau-
tiful aem. and the fresh cool aire I sat down and read
my bible until breakfast which was enjoyed very much it
consisted of sheep liver - poached eggs, Irish potatoes,
bread & butter, cheese, tea or coffee ~ wine, beer,
champagne etc these latter I don't indulge in. A bright
beautiful clear day just pleasant enough to make one
enjoy a nice sea voyage if he only had his lady friends
with him. I saw some women at Las Palmas, Grand Canary,
but they were of a very poor specimen. All rough working
women of a mulatta complexion generally. Now I go to
luneh ~ dinner with us =~ and I eat heartily - come back
on deck and look for cape Verd. We see it = a crowd
gather and look. We see a shadow whieh is pronounced by
someone who professes to know = That's Cape Verde I not
being satisfied asked the Capt. but he smiled and said
8no. Indeed it was only a bank of cloud which had the
appearance of land. The afternoon passed on and now to
our hearts delight we see, about 6 o'clock a small point
of land which resembles the dome on one of the centennial
buildings in Nashville. We do not have time to view our
point long, however, until we are summoned by the eall
of a bell to dinner, we call it supper at home, however,
we obey the call and our first course was soupe Next
macaroni cooked with bits of ham and seasoned with some-
thing, I don't know, but smelled exactly like the guiana
which is put on eotton or tobacco to make it grow. Next
we had new plates and were served to beef, with navy
beans and string beans. Again we ha® clean plates and
we had more meat, & saratoga chips. Again clean plates
and we had dessert - a very thin piece of dough shortened
and sweetened and seemed to be fried. With this we had
iee cream? Yes actually ice cream this is the and time
we have had it since we left Antwerp. Then to wind up
with we had oranges and cheese & coffee. The sheese &
eoffee I did not partake of. Now I am full - how full
thankful. Ive had a good supper and feel better. But
on going on deek I see 3 lighthouses in sight one on
the high point of Cape Verd which projects into the
water - the other 2 on either side toward the mainland

making a triangle { and the dots will
Zep the Light-houses. Seen as Now we pase then
ani

no more land to be Ley) seen for about 4 days
</current_page_ocr>

<previous_page_context kind="raw_ocr_tail" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
e trip what
a glorious time I could have. Tonight Bros. Wescott,
Morrison, Armstrong and myself went into my stateroom
and had prayers. I read a few verses from the 5th chapt.
Matt. and red in prayer the others praying as one would
finish until all had had a turn. After prayers we talked
about different things until about 12 o'clock midnight -
rather late - and passed a most delightful evening. I
don't think I mentioned before that we are on a German
line of steamers and they don't allow public service.
The Germans don't believe in pulling people into church --
as they express it -- but the Captain is well disposed
and has many friends among the missionaries. He told me
that sometimes he had as many as 16 missionaries on board
and when there were a good many thus, ladies and gentle-
men ~ by special consent of himself - they held daily
services among themselves in the ladies saloon. This
has not been a very eventful day - like a good many
others. About 12 o'clock today we passed a little fishing
boat and the 18t officer told me that it was one of a
number of the same kind that come out from Boston every
year and stay about six months and catch fish and put
then in firkins and then go back again and sell the
product. He did not know the name of the fish, but from
his description of them - being small and very good -
I'm inclined to think they are either or white
fish. Now with prayers for the safe voyage for friends,
relatives, Missionaries and the chureh & e I say goed
night
</previous_page_context>

<next_page_context kind="raw_ocr_head" status="continuity_only_non_authoritative">
until we come to Monrovia where we will step on the
west coast of Liberia and take on a lot of Kru-boys

who are going to the Congo to work on the Ro Re By

the way - yesterday and day before, I cut of Armstrong's
hair and then Morrison's then Wescott’s. I then let
Morrison try his hand on mine he did a very good jobs
Wescott has come now and we will have prayers. Well,
we had a real nice prayer meeting and after a pleasant
chat we all retired.

Dec. 19 - Saturday

Just think of it, only six days more until Christmas!
My birthday! How I will miss home & friends = But I
have one great consolation, I ean be with Jesus.

It is a lovely morning and as I look over the great
expanse of water and see how quiet it is, I thank God
for giving ue such a nice sailinge While I sit here
waiting for breakfast, I see a Steamship pass, but it
is so far away I cannot tell te what line she belongse
I ean only tell that she is painted white and with a
red smokestack.

The day passes off very rapidly for I am looking
over my invoices and posting up my cash account. Then
I look over my list of medicines so that when I open
the box I will be able to be familiar with them. I
have put in the day in various ways. It is now after
supper and the sky is without a eloud. The moon with
her bright and smiling face sheds her silvery light
over the Dark Continent, where it seess to me that she
now is situated directly over the center. You see our
ship is not more than fifty miles from shore and we are
opposit
</next_page_context>

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