Alcatraz

A few weeks ago we visited Alcatraz in San Francisco. When we first got there we went into a long strip of building to watch a short film on the history of Alcatraz. Next we picked up an audio guide and started walking around. We learnt about the worst criminals in Alcatraz such as American gangster Al Capone who was one of the most famous gangsters in history. Alcatraz was not only home to prisoners, many guards and and there families lived there.The jail is large and took up most of the island. The reason Alcatraz is so famous is because nobody has ever escaped and lived. First you have to break out of your cell then swim or catch the guard filled ferry across to San Francisco.  Most would die trying to cross the icy cold water. We eventually found out that the prison had a library, outdoor field and special cells which had thicker bars and substantially larger amount of space.  According to the prisoners the worst thing about Alcatraz was that they could often hear laughter and joy coming from nearby San Francisco. Plus it seemed close enough to swim but would most likely end up with death.

 One of the most famous stories of how people escaped was from a spoon and a paper mache head. The prisoners all had to go to sleep at 10 and every night 3 men would chisel away at a rusty vent no wider than a computer screen. Gradually they would make a substantial hole big enough to climb through and escape using the paper mache heads as decoys to pretend they were asleep.