Charcoal Iron Industry Analysis: Data Preparation and Computer Program Design

A report of the use of the computer to analyze historical data on the charcoal iron industry is presented. It includes a discussion of the problem of analyzing historical data by computer and the use of the computer to locate errors or inconsistencies in the reporting of the original data and in the transcription process from document to punched card. The type of analysis applied to the data is described and the methods of program construction and verification are explained. The results of this analysis are reported in a separate paper.