Summary
In the 1930s Alcatraz was already a forbidding place, surrounded by the cold, rough waters of the Pacific. The prison underwent a redesign. The redesign included tougher iron bars, a series of strategically positioned guard towers and strict rules the escape seemed near impossible .The fate of three particular inmates is a mystery. The three inmates in question are John Anglin, his brother Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris. They went missing on June 12th, 1962. During the routine early morning bed check the three convicts were not in their cells. The guards discovered dummy heads made of plaster, cleverly built by the escapees. The prison went down into lock down and an intensive search began. They spent the next few days gathering information and superior people were immediately notified. Boat operators in the bay were asked to be on the lookout for debris. Within two days a packet of letters sealed in rubber was recovered. Piecing together the plan as the days the FBI and the coast guard and the other began to find more evidence and pieces together the ingenious escape plan. The group had began lying plans the previous December when one of them came across some old saw blades. Using crude tools behind the cells was a common unguarded utility corridor. It was discovered that the inmates spent months chipping into the vent in their cells. The noise of the inmates taking the vent down was drowned out by Frank Morris playing the accordion. After getting through the vent they made their way down this corridor and climbed to the roof of their cell block inside the where they set up a workshop .There taking turns keeping watch for the guards. At the same time they were looking for a way out of the building. The ceiling was a good 30 feet high but using a network of pipes they climbed up and eventually pried open the ventilator at the top of the shaft. The three others got into the corridor gathered their gear climbed up and out through the ventilator and got to the prison roof .Then they shimmied down the bakery smoke stack at the rear of the cell house climbed over the fence and snuck to the northeast shore of the island and launched their raft. They put their raft on the water and were never seen again.
Why it's such a Famous CaseIn the late 1850's the first military prisoners were being held on the island and over a period of time it became known famous for "The Rock." Since the escape from three men; Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin, they have never been found. The case took place in June 1962. Since then nobody has found any real clues as to how they might've survived and got to shore. And ever since it's been a place for people to visit and learn about the Alcatraz escape to this day and people still want to know why and how all of this happened. It was a mastermind escape plan and although the case was closed by the FBI in 1979, some still push forward and try to discover what exactly happened. Every year, since 1981, there is an Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. It is an immensely popular event Occasionally, some new clues or information will come up and spike the interest in this case, which will cause more people to become aware of this case and cause them to do their own research. But at the end of the day, any crime that has a mystery factor involved is going to get people interested and is going to be very well-known.
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