Rhandi Schubring

Prof. Presnell
UWRT 1104
11 November 2015
Sunday Mornings
Every Sunday morning, I wake up and walk downstairs to watch TV with my mom. Most
of the time we are watching a show about haunted places. I remember one morning, we watched
a episode on Alcatraz. So many people have died on that island, even before the prison was built.
This spiked my interest on Alcatraz. I wanted to find more out about the island and what it was
like to live on the island. I started researching more about it and then I found out about the
escape of 1962. Rumors were going around that someone actually escaped the unescapable
prison. I was determined to learn more about it.
The Rock

During the 1930s in the United States was a prime time for crimes and robberies. Some
criminals were as famous as celebrities and were known world-wide. Everyone agreed upon a
creation of a super-prison to contain these criminals. Deborah Hopkinson, a graduate from the
University of Massachusetts, wrote an article entitled Escape from Alcatraz. In it, she gives
background information as to why the island of Alcatraz was a suitable place to build the prison.
The desolate and isolated island of
Alcatraz seemed like a perfect fit.
Alcatraz is located in the chilly
waters of Californias San
Francisco Bay. They soon began the
construction of this escape proof
prison in 1934. Nicknamed The
Rock the prison soon opened in August of 1934. Alcatraz housed some of Americas worst
criminals such as Al Scarface Capone and George Machine Gun Kelley.
New Home
Soon after the prison was opened, penitentiaries from across the country got the word that
Alcatraz was ready to take their toughest criminals off their hands. On August 19, 1934, 53
prisoners boarded a train in Atlanta, Georgia going to California. They would soon become the
first prisoners of Alcatraz. Im sure the staff of Alcatraz couldnt help but to feel nervous. These
inmates were going to Alcatraz because the prisons that were originally in couldnt handle them.
The first Warden of Alcatraz, James A. Johnston, took every precaution necessary to make sure
these prisoners didnt escape. They rode in specially designed rail-road cars equipped with steel
bars across the windows. No prisoner was allowed to leave their seat during any stop. The

inmates arrived on August 22, 1934. By the end of 1934, Alcatraz was housing more than 200 of
Americas worst criminals. Hopkinson discussed what daily life was like in the prison in her
article. She stated that Alcatraz was unlike any other prison ever built. No newspapers were
allowed and the only radio stations they could listen to were those that were approved by the
warden. A loud ringing of a gong woke them up every morning at exactly 6:30 a.m. The men
stood to be counted and then cleaned their cells. They then marched to breakfast which lasted 25
minutes. After breakfast, each utensil was counted. Inmates had jobs doing laundry, working in
the garden, and the tailor shop. Head counts took place constantly. Inmates had a supervised
recreation time and bedtime was at 9:30 p.m. Any inmate who broke any rules faced serious
punishment. The most feared punishment was solitary confinement. They were in a solid
concrete room for 24 hours with only one hole in the ground for a toilet. This information
showed me why prisoners tried to escape from Alcatraz so many times. This prison was the worst
in America and daily life was not the least bit fun. Prisoners had a strong desire to leave and get
back to civilization since they had been separated from it for so long.
The Escape
Lights were out at 9:30 p.m on June 11, 1962. For four months inmates Frank Morris,
Allen West and brothers Clarence and John Anglin (pictured below) were secretly planning their
escape. Everyone believes the prison was escape proof, but these four men were desperate to
prove them wrong. Jane Fryer talked about the intricate details of the escape in her Journal entry
Two Audacious Crooks. She discussed how for months they used spoons to chip away at the
concrete walls of their cells and eventually made holes big enough to crawl through. Once they
got out, they climbed through the ventilation shafts and set up a secret workshop to plot the rest
of their escape. Fryer stated that most men who tried to escape the prison drowned in the frigid

waters of San Francisco Bay and how the four inmates had no intention of swimming. They
constructed makeshift rafts life preservers using stolen raincoats. Frank Morris was convicted of
armed robbery and had already escaped from several prisons before. But Alcatraz was unlike any
other prison, security was tight and heads
were counted several times a day. To fool
the guards, they made dummy heads out of
glue and other objects. Morris worked in the
prison barber shop and was able to retrieve hair to use on the dummy heads. Before discovering
this information, I stereotyped inmates as unintelligent but, to my disbelief, they were in fact
very bright and smart to come up with a plan this detailed and good. On the night of their escape,
they put their heads into their beds. As it got
dark, it got near to the time of their escape.
Everyone was ready except for West, who
couldnt get out of his cell. The others went on
without him. The escaped from their cells and
climbed up the pipes. They crawled across the
roof, making sure avoid the search lights, and crawled down a drain pipe. They made it. The only
thing that stood between them and freedom was a 15-foot fence and frigid, shark-infested waters
of the San Francisco Bay. Many men had made it to this point before. One inmate hide in a sea
cave for months frightened by the strong currents.
So What Happened?
In 1963, the prison became too expensive to operate. Richard Clavendish stated in his
article Alcatraz Prison Closes that Robert F. Kennedy decided to close down Alcatraz. Today,

Alcatraz is used as a tourist attraction. Alcatraz operated for 29 years (1934-1963). During its
years of operation, there were 14 escape attempts made involving 36 men. Most of them were
caught, shot, or drowned. Two men tried to escape in December of 1937 but officials believed
that they were swept out to sea. Thomas Sumner, author of Alcatraz Escapees Could Have
Made It, partnered with two hydrologists by the name of Rolf Hut and Fedor Baart to try and
attempt to explain how the three inmates, Frank Morris and Clarence and John Anglin, could
have survived. Although they were never found, they used computer modules to simulate the
currents on that night. Sumner stated in his article that if they timed it just right, they could have
survived. Sumner also discussed that and oar was found nearby and that if they had paddled in
a perpendicular direction, they could have escaped through Horseshoe Bay. After officials
discovered that they were missing, a massive search was conducted. Their raft was discovered
nearby on Angel Island. In the newspaper The Times-Picayune, an article was issued entitled
Three Escape from Alcatraz just days after the escape. In the article it discussed that there was
a report that a car was stolen that night in San Francisco and a body was also found floating in
the bay but was unable to be identified. In the end, officials couldnt find them. They came to the
conclusion that they must have drowned. Survival would have been unlikely. They were most
likely either to die from hypothermia or drowned by the strong currents of the bay. To this day,
relatives of the Anglin brothers believe that they have proof that they are still alive. They
received Christmas cards in December of 1962 supposedly from them. There is also a picture
that was found of the Anglin brothers in South Africa in the 1970s. This really interested me
knowing that the family members could have evidence that they escaped. There are still warrants
out for the arrest of all 3 men and if found, they could be sent back to jail.
Conclusion

After all my research, I couldnt give a yes or no answer as to whether anyone truly did
escape from Alcatraz. Since the three inmates were never found, there is no way to give a
definite answer. What I can conclude is this, never doubt someones capabilities. Most of the
time, we stereotype prisoners as unintelligent and stupid, but these three prisoners managed to
plan an escape and not only fool the staff of Alcatraz, but shock the entire nation. There
whereabouts are unknown, but what we do know is that if they survived, they constructed the
greatest prison escape of all time.

Works Cited
Cavendish, Richard. "Alcatraz Prison Closes." History Today 63.3 (2013): 11. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.

Hopkinson, Deborah. "Escape From Alcatraz." Scholastic Scope 60.9 (2012): 4-9. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

Jane, Fryer. "Is this the proof two audacious crooks DID escape from Alcatraz?." Daily Mail 14
Oct. 2015: 27. Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.

SUMNER, THOMAS. "Alcatraz Escapees Could Have Made It." Science News 187.1 (2015):
11. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.

"Three Escape From Alcatraz." The Times-Picayune [Louisiana] 13 June 1962: 1+. Newsbank.
Web. 4 Nov. 2015.