Below is a newspaper article from June 12, 1962. The improbable escape from Alcatraz made headlines across the world and helped turn Alcatraz into one of the most recognized prisons in the world.
1962: Three escape from Alcatraz
Three prisoners have made their way out of California's Alcatraz prison using spoons and a homemade raft. Frank Lee Morris and two brothers, Clarence and John Anglin, all convicted of bank robbery, escaped last night from the notorious island prison in San Francisco Bay renowned for its high level of security.
The acting warden said they put dummy heads - made of a mixture of soap, toilet paper and real hair - in their beds to fool prison officers making night-time inspections.
They then cut through the back of their cells with sharpened spoons, crawled out and onto the roof through a ventilation duct, climbed down a pipe to the ground then made their way to the shore of the island. Prison officials said they used a makeshift raft of driftwood and raincoats sewn together to make pontoons in order to float away from Alcatraz, also known as The Rock.
Famous inmates:
At least 100 armed troops have joined the military police in their hunt for the three convicts who are wearing blue prison uniform. Police have warned members of the public not to approach the men. Alcatraz Island is only a mile from the mainland. But the waters of San Francisco Bay are treacherous and very cold and should the escapees fall in, there is little chance of survival. Alcatraz, which houses around 270 hardened criminals, is famous for its high level of security thanks to the structure of the buildings, their isolation from the mainland and the frequent head counts - 12 a day. The prison boasts gangster Al Capone, George 'Machine Gun' Kelly and murderer and bird expert Robert Stroud among its most infamous inmates.
Three prisoners have made their way out of California's Alcatraz prison using spoons and a homemade raft. Frank Lee Morris and two brothers, Clarence and John Anglin, all convicted of bank robbery, escaped last night from the notorious island prison in San Francisco Bay renowned for its high level of security.
The acting warden said they put dummy heads - made of a mixture of soap, toilet paper and real hair - in their beds to fool prison officers making night-time inspections.
They then cut through the back of their cells with sharpened spoons, crawled out and onto the roof through a ventilation duct, climbed down a pipe to the ground then made their way to the shore of the island. Prison officials said they used a makeshift raft of driftwood and raincoats sewn together to make pontoons in order to float away from Alcatraz, also known as The Rock.
Famous inmates:
At least 100 armed troops have joined the military police in their hunt for the three convicts who are wearing blue prison uniform. Police have warned members of the public not to approach the men. Alcatraz Island is only a mile from the mainland. But the waters of San Francisco Bay are treacherous and very cold and should the escapees fall in, there is little chance of survival. Alcatraz, which houses around 270 hardened criminals, is famous for its high level of security thanks to the structure of the buildings, their isolation from the mainland and the frequent head counts - 12 a day. The prison boasts gangster Al Capone, George 'Machine Gun' Kelly and murderer and bird expert Robert Stroud among its most infamous inmates.