Alcatraz- another part of the historic richness of San Francisco. Decaying from the salty bay mist, I personally think that it's the most mysterious of prisons in the country. Being an island certainly makes it so. It's the Devil's Island of the bay area.
There have been several escape attempts from Alcatraz. Some escapees were caught before leaving the island while others were found dead in the bay.
*The most violent escape attempt, called the "Alcatraz blastout" or the "battle of Alcatraz", took place in 1946. Six inmates overpowered cell house officers and gained access to weapons in an attempt to escape. The stand-off lasted from May 2-4, ending with the U.S. Marines assisting authorities. Eighteen officers were injured in the battle. My dad can remember standing on the shore and hearing the shots fired by officers on the island.
The one escape everyone hears about is the most mysterious of any escape attempt. It took place June 11, 1962. Three inmates, Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, made an intricate escape route through the prison walls using homemade drills to enlarge vent holes. They constructed plaster coverings to disguise their holes from guards. They also constructed paper mache masks with human hair taken from the prison barber shop to place on their pillows to elude guards into thinking they were fast asleep.
They made life vests and a raft out of raincoats to float across the cold bay during the cover of night. Later in the morning, the raincoats along with some personal belongings were found in the water but the inmates were long gone. No sign of them were discovered. Clint Eastwood made the escape famous in his movie, Escape from Alcatraz.
The rock has also incarcerated some of the most menacing names in criminal history. Al Capone spent four and a half years in Alcatraz. George "Machine Gun" Kelly spent 17 years behind Alcatraz's bars. Robert Stroud, "The birdman of Alcatraz", I think is the prison's most famous inmate. He was transferred to the rock from Leavenworth prison in Kansas and spent 17 years on the rock, six of which were in segregation. Burt Lancaster played Stroud in the 1962 film Birdman of Alcatraz.
These are various snaps I took of Alcatraz. I visited the prison once years ago, but each visit to San Francisco I make, I make sure to stand at the end of Pier 39 and gaze out towards the rock. The urge to take a picture of it each time I see it is hard to resist.
*www.alcatrazhistory.com
No comments:
Post a Comment