Carter Roy

Once the grates were open, the men started crawling into the vents at night. They climbed up the ventilation shaft to the top of their cell block, which became a secret workshop. In the midnight hours, they tackled the next pressing question. How to get off the island? Anyone leaving Alcatraz on official business traveled by a daily ferry boat.

But for Allen West, Frank Morris, and Clarence and John Anglin, getting on that boat, let alone stealing it, was out of the question. The keys were heavily guarded in a gun tower. If they wanted a boat, they'd have to build it. As maybe fate would have it, John read a magazine article about how to vulcanize rubber with heat, sealing it together and making it waterproof.

But for Allen West, Frank Morris, and Clarence and John Anglin, getting on that boat, let alone stealing it, was out of the question. The keys were heavily guarded in a gun tower. If they wanted a boat, they'd have to build it. As maybe fate would have it, John read a magazine article about how to vulcanize rubber with heat, sealing it together and making it waterproof.

But for Allen West, Frank Morris, and Clarence and John Anglin, getting on that boat, let alone stealing it, was out of the question. The keys were heavily guarded in a gun tower. If they wanted a boat, they'd have to build it. As maybe fate would have it, John read a magazine article about how to vulcanize rubber with heat, sealing it together and making it waterproof.

And he just so happened to have a thin sheet of rubber in the form of his prison-issued raincoat. He proposed they melt the seams together and reinforce the edges with waterproof glue, conveniently available in the Alcatraz Industries workshops. But they'd need a lot more than four raincoats. So Frank, Alan, and the Anglins started stealing them.

And he just so happened to have a thin sheet of rubber in the form of his prison-issued raincoat. He proposed they melt the seams together and reinforce the edges with waterproof glue, conveniently available in the Alcatraz Industries workshops. But they'd need a lot more than four raincoats. So Frank, Alan, and the Anglins started stealing them.

And he just so happened to have a thin sheet of rubber in the form of his prison-issued raincoat. He proposed they melt the seams together and reinforce the edges with waterproof glue, conveniently available in the Alcatraz Industries workshops. But they'd need a lot more than four raincoats. So Frank, Alan, and the Anglins started stealing them.

And as they melted together their raft, Frank realized how to inflate it. The accordion. By night, he dismantled the instrument and used the components to silently inflate the raft. To everyone's excitement, it held. This whole time, they mined information from inmates who knew the Bay Area well. They asked about the strength of the tides and currents and the shortest route.

And as they melted together their raft, Frank realized how to inflate it. The accordion. By night, he dismantled the instrument and used the components to silently inflate the raft. To everyone's excitement, it held. This whole time, they mined information from inmates who knew the Bay Area well. They asked about the strength of the tides and currents and the shortest route.

And as they melted together their raft, Frank realized how to inflate it. The accordion. By night, he dismantled the instrument and used the components to silently inflate the raft. To everyone's excitement, it held. This whole time, they mined information from inmates who knew the Bay Area well. They asked about the strength of the tides and currents and the shortest route.

The two most suggested destinations were Angel Island or the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. According to Allen West, they chose Angel Island. From there, they could get to the mainland and steal guns and clothes. They'd use the guns to hijack a car and drive off to freedom. By June 1962, everything was in place.

The two most suggested destinations were Angel Island or the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. According to Allen West, they chose Angel Island. From there, they could get to the mainland and steal guns and clothes. They'd use the guns to hijack a car and drive off to freedom. By June 1962, everything was in place.

The two most suggested destinations were Angel Island or the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. According to Allen West, they chose Angel Island. From there, they could get to the mainland and steal guns and clothes. They'd use the guns to hijack a car and drive off to freedom. By June 1962, everything was in place.

When the new warden went on a two-week vacation, the men got their crystal-clear window of opportunity. It was time to escape the inescapable. On the evening of June 11th, 1962, the four inmates put their escape plan in motion. Between head counts, Frank, John, and Clarence opened their vents. They placed their body doubles in bed, pocketed a few treasures, and slipped out through the vent hole.

When the new warden went on a two-week vacation, the men got their crystal-clear window of opportunity. It was time to escape the inescapable. On the evening of June 11th, 1962, the four inmates put their escape plan in motion. Between head counts, Frank, John, and Clarence opened their vents. They placed their body doubles in bed, pocketed a few treasures, and slipped out through the vent hole.

When the new warden went on a two-week vacation, the men got their crystal-clear window of opportunity. It was time to escape the inescapable. On the evening of June 11th, 1962, the four inmates put their escape plan in motion. Between head counts, Frank, John, and Clarence opened their vents. They placed their body doubles in bed, pocketed a few treasures, and slipped out through the vent hole.

Alan did not. When chipping his hole in the weeks before, he'd accidentally made it too big. No matter how much soap and cardboard he used, the vent wouldn't stay in place. So when he learned new toilets were being installed, he filled up his shoes with concrete and used that to refill the edges of his hole. The grill stayed put well. A little too well. At go time, Alan couldn't remove the grate.

Alan did not. When chipping his hole in the weeks before, he'd accidentally made it too big. No matter how much soap and cardboard he used, the vent wouldn't stay in place. So when he learned new toilets were being installed, he filled up his shoes with concrete and used that to refill the edges of his hole. The grill stayed put well. A little too well. At go time, Alan couldn't remove the grate.

Alan did not. When chipping his hole in the weeks before, he'd accidentally made it too big. No matter how much soap and cardboard he used, the vent wouldn't stay in place. So when he learned new toilets were being installed, he filled up his shoes with concrete and used that to refill the edges of his hole. The grill stayed put well. A little too well. At go time, Alan couldn't remove the grate.

Months of work and he was still trapped. He spent the next few hours chipping away, finally breaking open the grate, racing through the vents, scaling three stories of pipes, bursting onto the roof, and realizing they'd left without him. Don't feel too bad for him. A prison guard once described him as devoid of honor and said he respected no human being. Oh, and he was a notorious liar.