1 00:00:03,918 --> 00:00:05,210 {\an1}- The most infamous prison on Earth. 2 00:00:05,293 --> 00:00:08,335 {\an1}- Alcatraz is the true pioneer of the supermax prison concept. 3 00:00:08,418 --> 00:00:10,626 {\an1}- Surrounded by the freezing waters 4 00:00:10,751 --> 00:00:12,210 {\an1}of the San Francisco Bay. 5 00:00:12,335 --> 00:00:14,293 {\an1}- An average prisoner would have succumbed 6 00:00:14,418 --> 00:00:16,918 {\an1}to hypothermia in under three hours. 7 00:00:17,043 --> 00:00:19,043 {\an1}- Four inmates think they can beat the odds 8 00:00:19,168 --> 00:00:21,043 {\an1}and make their way to freedom. 9 00:00:21,126 --> 00:00:22,626 {\an1}- They were paired in twos. 10 00:00:22,751 --> 00:00:26,376 {\an1}One would keep watch as the other did the digging. 11 00:00:26,460 --> 00:00:28,918 {\an1}- Can they escape The Rock? - You can't look back. 12 00:00:29,043 --> 00:00:30,376 {\an1}You can't contact family. 13 00:00:30,460 --> 00:00:33,543 {\an1}You've got to basically disappear. 14 00:00:33,626 --> 00:00:40,251 {\an1}♪ ♪ 15 00:00:40,418 --> 00:00:43,501 {\an1}- Some of the greatest stories ever told 16 00:00:43,626 --> 00:00:47,168 {\an1}start behind bars. 17 00:00:47,251 --> 00:00:49,376 {\an1}Locked up in the most notorious prisons 18 00:00:49,501 --> 00:00:50,751 {\an1}in the world, 19 00:00:50,918 --> 00:00:52,835 {\an1}spied on by guards 20 00:00:52,918 --> 00:00:55,543 {\an1}and fellow prisoners. 21 00:00:55,626 --> 00:00:57,751 {\an1}It takes a devious mind 22 00:00:57,918 --> 00:01:00,251 {\an1}to find a way out. 23 00:01:00,418 --> 00:01:03,210 {\an1}It could lead you to freedom 24 00:01:03,335 --> 00:01:07,210 {\an1}or it could cost you your life. 25 00:01:07,335 --> 00:01:10,168 {\an1}But wouldn't you try 26 00:01:10,293 --> 00:01:13,335 {\an1}when you have nothing left to lose? 27 00:01:13,460 --> 00:01:18,793 {\an1}♪ ♪ 28 00:01:18,918 --> 00:01:21,751 {\an1}[dramatic music] 29 00:01:21,876 --> 00:01:24,918 {\an1}♪ ♪ 30 00:01:25,043 --> 00:01:28,460 {\an1}Alcatraz, The Rock. 31 00:01:28,585 --> 00:01:33,210 {\an1}This is the most notorious prison in American history. 32 00:01:33,335 --> 00:01:38,210 {\an1}It's a grim concrete fortress planted on solid rock, 33 00:01:38,335 --> 00:01:43,168 {\an1}surrounded by the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay. 34 00:01:43,251 --> 00:01:47,126 {\an1}This place is always cold. 35 00:01:47,251 --> 00:01:49,835 {\an1}And it has a way of breaking the spirit 36 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:52,876 {\an1}of the most hardened criminal. 37 00:01:53,001 --> 00:01:55,376 {\an1}Even Al Capone said, 38 00:01:55,501 --> 00:01:58,876 {\an1}"Alcatraz has got me licked." 39 00:01:59,043 --> 00:02:02,210 {\an1}♪ ♪ 40 00:02:02,335 --> 00:02:04,376 {\an1}- Alcatraz is the true pioneer 41 00:02:04,460 --> 00:02:07,335 {\an1}of the supermax prison concept. 42 00:02:07,460 --> 00:02:11,043 {\an1}- Alcatraz opened back in 1934. 43 00:02:11,210 --> 00:02:15,960 {\an1}They had a huge ratio of guards to prisoners. 44 00:02:16,085 --> 00:02:17,626 {\an1}- You had, like, this tool-proof steel 45 00:02:17,751 --> 00:02:20,210 {\an1}that was touted that nobody could use 46 00:02:20,335 --> 00:02:22,751 {\an1}a regular file to file through. 47 00:02:22,876 --> 00:02:26,043 {\an1}- There were remote-controlled canisters of tear gas 48 00:02:26,210 --> 00:02:28,710 {\an1}and that could be opened in the event of a riot 49 00:02:28,835 --> 00:02:30,668 {\an1}or escape attempt. 50 00:02:30,793 --> 00:02:33,460 {\an1}There also was a number of metal detectors around. 51 00:02:33,585 --> 00:02:36,710 {\an1}- They were really boasting the metal detection. 52 00:02:36,793 --> 00:02:39,668 {\an1}They called it, you know, "the invisible eye." 53 00:02:39,751 --> 00:02:43,293 {\an1}♪ ♪ 54 00:02:43,418 --> 00:02:45,585 {\an1}- The prison's construction is unlike 55 00:02:45,710 --> 00:02:48,751 {\an1}anything that had ever been built before. 56 00:02:48,876 --> 00:02:50,376 {\an1}- The cell structure is like 57 00:02:50,460 --> 00:02:53,960 {\an1}a three-tiered building inside of a building. 58 00:02:54,085 --> 00:02:55,210 {\an1}It's three stories high 59 00:02:55,376 --> 00:02:57,543 {\an1}and the cells all faced outwards 60 00:02:57,668 --> 00:02:59,168 {\an1}so the guards could walk the corridors 61 00:02:59,251 --> 00:03:01,210 {\an1}and look inside each cell as needed. 62 00:03:01,335 --> 00:03:02,710 {\an1}Gun galleries up along the ends 63 00:03:02,835 --> 00:03:06,710 {\an1}so guards could shoot into the prison if needed. 64 00:03:06,876 --> 00:03:09,543 {\an1}Once you're outside the main cell building, 65 00:03:09,710 --> 00:03:12,876 {\an1}there are additional fences and 20-foot walls. 66 00:03:13,001 --> 00:03:14,293 {\an1}There are thick concrete walls 67 00:03:14,418 --> 00:03:17,043 {\an1}and guard towers on the corners. 68 00:03:17,126 --> 00:03:18,710 {\an1}- Six watchtowers. 69 00:03:18,876 --> 00:03:21,918 {\an1}Each one of them had an armed officer in that tower. 70 00:03:22,085 --> 00:03:23,626 {\an1}This was gonna be the facility 71 00:03:23,751 --> 00:03:27,501 {\an1}that there was no escaping, no way out. 72 00:03:27,626 --> 00:03:29,543 {\an1}♪ ♪ 73 00:03:29,668 --> 00:03:32,626 {\an1}- Even if you managed to get out of your cell, 74 00:03:32,751 --> 00:03:34,168 {\an1}scale the walls, 75 00:03:34,251 --> 00:03:37,293 {\an1}and evade the watchtowers, 76 00:03:37,418 --> 00:03:40,793 {\an1}you still faced the biggest obstacle of all: 77 00:03:40,918 --> 00:03:43,335 {\an1}San Francisco Bay. 78 00:03:43,460 --> 00:03:46,210 {\an1}Its waters are cold enough to kill you in an hour 79 00:03:46,376 --> 00:03:48,251 {\an1}and the currents can drag you 80 00:03:48,418 --> 00:03:51,335 {\an1}clean out into the Pacific Ocean. 81 00:03:51,418 --> 00:03:53,335 {\an1}- An average prisoner 82 00:03:53,460 --> 00:03:55,210 {\an1}would have a functional time of about 83 00:03:55,293 --> 00:03:57,210 {\an1}an hour and a half to two hours. 84 00:03:57,335 --> 00:03:58,376 {\an1}And then after that, they'd just be 85 00:03:58,543 --> 00:04:00,126 {\an1}kind of, like, bobbing and floating 86 00:04:00,251 --> 00:04:01,460 {\an1}and wouldn't be able to really function 87 00:04:01,585 --> 00:04:03,376 {\an1}and they would succumb to hypothermia 88 00:04:03,501 --> 00:04:05,876 {\an1}in about under three hours. 89 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:08,668 {\an1}♪ ♪ 90 00:04:08,793 --> 00:04:13,376 {\an1}- Here's how criminals start to talk about Alcatraz. 91 00:04:13,501 --> 00:04:16,085 {\an1}"If you don't follow society's rules, 92 00:04:16,210 --> 00:04:17,668 {\an1}"you go to prison. 93 00:04:17,793 --> 00:04:20,960 {\an1}"If you don't follow the prison rules, 94 00:04:21,085 --> 00:04:24,418 {\an1}you end up in Alcatraz." 95 00:04:25,210 --> 00:04:27,543 {\an1}♪ ♪ 96 00:04:27,668 --> 00:04:29,585 {\an1}- All the federal prisoners knew if you went to Alcatraz, 97 00:04:29,710 --> 00:04:31,210 {\an1}the other prisoners who were there 98 00:04:31,335 --> 00:04:32,543 {\an1}were the worst of the worst 99 00:04:32,668 --> 00:04:34,375 {\an1}in the federal prison system. 100 00:04:34,460 --> 00:04:38,125 {\an1}- Many of the most famous criminals of their day 101 00:04:38,250 --> 00:04:39,750 {\an1}spent time at Alcatraz. 102 00:04:39,918 --> 00:04:42,793 {\an1}These include the infamous Chicago crime boss, 103 00:04:42,918 --> 00:04:44,375 {\an1}Al Capone. 104 00:04:44,500 --> 00:04:47,125 {\an1}Other Depression era gangster figures, 105 00:04:47,250 --> 00:04:49,210 {\an1}like Machine Gun Kelly. 106 00:04:49,375 --> 00:04:51,293 {\an1}Bumpy Johnson, the Godfather of Harlem 107 00:04:51,418 --> 00:04:53,250 {\an1}spends time in Alcatraz, 108 00:04:53,418 --> 00:04:55,043 {\an1}as does Whitey Bulger, 109 00:04:55,168 --> 00:04:56,375 {\an1}the Irish American crime boss 110 00:04:56,460 --> 00:04:59,043 {\an1}turned FBI informant. 111 00:04:59,168 --> 00:05:00,501 {\an1}And of course, Robert Stroud 112 00:05:00,626 --> 00:05:03,210 {\an1}known as "The Birdman of Alcatraz," 113 00:05:03,335 --> 00:05:04,418 {\an1}who was transferred from Leavenworth 114 00:05:04,543 --> 00:05:07,126 {\an1}after he killed a guard. 115 00:05:07,251 --> 00:05:09,460 {\an1}- But in 1962, 116 00:05:09,585 --> 00:05:12,835 {\an1}all of these big name mobsters and murderers 117 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:17,835 {\an1}will be overshadowed by a gang of four small-time crooks. 118 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,460 {\an1}It's not what they did to get in that makes them famous. 119 00:05:21,585 --> 00:05:25,500 {\an1}It's their attempt to get out. 120 00:05:25,625 --> 00:05:28,875 {\an1}- Our team of Alcatraz escapees. 121 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,043 {\an1}We have Allen West. 122 00:05:31,125 --> 00:05:36,543 {\an1}♪ ♪ 123 00:05:36,625 --> 00:05:39,460 {\an1}- West was a-- mostly a car thief 124 00:05:39,585 --> 00:05:41,168 {\an1}and he had a lot of larceny 125 00:05:41,250 --> 00:05:42,625 {\an1}and a lot of different escape attempts. 126 00:05:42,750 --> 00:05:44,543 {\an1}- He finally gets out of prison, 127 00:05:44,668 --> 00:05:47,168 {\an1}goes into the military for a short time, 128 00:05:47,250 --> 00:05:49,625 {\an1}gets a dishonorable discharge, 129 00:05:49,750 --> 00:05:52,043 {\an1}back in prison, and believe it or not 130 00:05:52,210 --> 00:05:54,875 {\an1}ends up in Alcatraz in 1954. 131 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,668 {\an1}- West is the guy who comes up with the escape plan. 132 00:05:58,750 --> 00:06:02,210 {\an1}He gets the idea while working at his prison job. 133 00:06:02,376 --> 00:06:03,793 {\an1}- West was one of the prisoners 134 00:06:03,918 --> 00:06:05,543 {\an1}who was trusted with the maintenance. 135 00:06:05,710 --> 00:06:07,376 {\an1}So he would be cleaning, he would paint, 136 00:06:07,501 --> 00:06:09,043 {\an1}he would do different things. 137 00:06:09,210 --> 00:06:10,710 {\an1}There's like a seven foot gap 138 00:06:10,793 --> 00:06:13,085 {\an1}between the ceiling or roof of the cell structure 139 00:06:13,210 --> 00:06:14,585 {\an1}before you get to the bottom 140 00:06:14,751 --> 00:06:17,293 {\an1}of the actual cell building itself. 141 00:06:17,418 --> 00:06:18,793 {\an1}And there's ventilation through there, 142 00:06:18,918 --> 00:06:21,043 {\an1}there's plumbing pipes, there's wires. 143 00:06:21,168 --> 00:06:23,960 {\an1}♪ ♪ 144 00:06:24,085 --> 00:06:25,585 {\an1}While he was up on top 145 00:06:25,750 --> 00:06:27,375 {\an1}cleaning the top tier of the cell structure, 146 00:06:27,543 --> 00:06:29,875 {\an1}he noticed one of the vents was not turning 147 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,293 {\an1}and there's little motors in there to pull air through 148 00:06:32,418 --> 00:06:34,043 {\an1}and he's noticed one of them was broken. 149 00:06:34,125 --> 00:06:36,835 {\an1}He thought that was a way out of the cell building. 150 00:06:36,918 --> 00:06:39,835 {\an1}- That's when the wheels start turning. 151 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:42,500 {\an1}This could be access to the roof. 152 00:06:42,585 --> 00:06:44,543 {\an1}This could be the way out. 153 00:06:44,668 --> 00:06:46,250 {\an1}- West comes up with the idea that, 154 00:06:46,375 --> 00:06:48,085 {\an1}"Yeah, we can do this." 155 00:06:48,250 --> 00:06:49,375 {\an1}So he knows the other people 156 00:06:49,500 --> 00:06:51,335 {\an1}who have a history of escape, 157 00:06:51,460 --> 00:06:53,335 {\an1}and he starts talking to 'em. 158 00:06:53,460 --> 00:06:55,375 {\an1}- West starts looking for collaborators, 159 00:06:55,500 --> 00:06:57,668 {\an1}guys he can trust. 160 00:06:57,793 --> 00:06:59,500 {\an1}And one man he did time with 161 00:06:59,625 --> 00:07:02,210 {\an1}at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta 162 00:07:02,335 --> 00:07:04,626 {\an1}stands out above the rest. 163 00:07:04,751 --> 00:07:08,710 {\an1}- Next on the island we would have Frank Morris. 164 00:07:08,835 --> 00:07:14,251 {\an1}♪ ♪ 165 00:07:14,418 --> 00:07:16,168 {\an1}He's our lone wolf. 166 00:07:16,293 --> 00:07:18,543 {\an1}He's very smart. 167 00:07:18,668 --> 00:07:22,418 {\an1}- People claim Morris had an IQ of 137. 168 00:07:22,543 --> 00:07:25,460 {\an1}- He's got the most escapes 169 00:07:25,585 --> 00:07:27,875 {\an1}out of our four guys. 170 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:31,000 {\an1}- He's been incarcerated at 11 different facilities 171 00:07:31,085 --> 00:07:34,043 {\an1}from a very young age, and Frank Morris was able to 172 00:07:34,125 --> 00:07:37,625 {\an1}successfully escape from all 11 of those facilities. 173 00:07:37,750 --> 00:07:40,710 {\an1}- Morris recruits two more members of the team, 174 00:07:40,835 --> 00:07:44,835 {\an1}a pair of escape artists who also served in Atlanta, 175 00:07:44,918 --> 00:07:46,085 {\an1}John Anglin... 176 00:07:46,210 --> 00:07:51,335 {\an1}♪ ♪ 177 00:07:51,460 --> 00:07:53,085 {\an1}And his younger brother, Clarence. 178 00:07:53,210 --> 00:07:58,793 {\an1}♪ ♪ 179 00:07:58,918 --> 00:08:01,210 {\an1}- John and Clarence, my uncles, 180 00:08:01,335 --> 00:08:03,835 {\an1}they robbed a bank in 1958, 181 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,376 {\an1}which was the biggest crime they had ever committed. 182 00:08:06,543 --> 00:08:08,418 {\an1}They used a toy gun to do it 183 00:08:08,543 --> 00:08:10,710 {\an1}because they didn't want anybody to get hurt. 184 00:08:10,835 --> 00:08:13,793 {\an1}When they went in, the president of the bank 185 00:08:13,918 --> 00:08:18,418 {\an1}got real hysterical and he wound up passing out. 186 00:08:18,543 --> 00:08:20,210 {\an1}Well, they stopped what they were doing 187 00:08:20,335 --> 00:08:23,543 {\an1}to get him a glass of water to make sure that he was okay. 188 00:08:23,668 --> 00:08:25,793 {\an1}They did, you know, tie their hands up 189 00:08:25,918 --> 00:08:28,375 {\an1}so they couldn't, you know, call the police or whatever, 190 00:08:28,500 --> 00:08:31,500 {\an1}but they never hurt anybody. 191 00:08:31,585 --> 00:08:33,543 {\an1}- What the Anglin brothers 192 00:08:33,710 --> 00:08:36,250 {\an1}lack in cold-hearted criminality, 193 00:08:36,418 --> 00:08:38,543 {\an1}they make up for in ingenuity 194 00:08:38,710 --> 00:08:41,543 {\an1}and persistence in escape attempts. 195 00:08:41,710 --> 00:08:43,710 {\an1}- They had the reputation inside of the family 196 00:08:43,835 --> 00:08:46,126 {\an1}as being their era of MacGyvers. 197 00:08:46,251 --> 00:08:49,543 {\an1}They could take nothing and make something out of it. 198 00:08:49,668 --> 00:08:51,876 {\an1}- They had tried several different, 199 00:08:52,001 --> 00:08:54,543 {\an1}and sometimes ingenious, little escape attempts. 200 00:08:54,668 --> 00:08:56,876 {\an1}Leavenworth was the main one. 201 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:58,710 {\an1}They both worked there together. 202 00:08:58,835 --> 00:09:01,168 {\an1}They had a prison camp where they'd make bread 203 00:09:01,293 --> 00:09:03,543 {\an1}and then they would ship it to and from the prison, 204 00:09:03,668 --> 00:09:05,085 {\an1}you know, and then they'd send the empty boxes back. 205 00:09:05,251 --> 00:09:08,376 {\an1}They're large boxes, so Clarence helped John 206 00:09:08,460 --> 00:09:10,210 {\an1}hide in these big bread boxes. 207 00:09:10,293 --> 00:09:13,585 {\an1}♪ ♪ 208 00:09:13,751 --> 00:09:15,460 {\an1}He concealed his brother in there, 209 00:09:15,585 --> 00:09:16,585 {\an1}and then one of the guards caught 'em 210 00:09:16,710 --> 00:09:18,876 {\an1}as they were going out. 211 00:09:19,001 --> 00:09:21,626 {\an1}- After their foiled escape from Leavenworth, 212 00:09:21,751 --> 00:09:24,543 {\an1}the brothers get shipped off to Alcatraz. 213 00:09:24,710 --> 00:09:26,251 {\an1}They're more than happy to team up 214 00:09:26,418 --> 00:09:27,501 {\an1}with West and Morris 215 00:09:27,626 --> 00:09:29,626 {\an1}on another breakout scheme. 216 00:09:29,751 --> 00:09:32,376 {\an1}- I can tell you that John and Clarence both, 217 00:09:32,460 --> 00:09:34,668 {\an1}they were always planning escapes. 218 00:09:34,751 --> 00:09:36,043 {\an1}I can assure you that 219 00:09:36,168 --> 00:09:39,710 {\an1}they were thinking of ways to get out of there. 220 00:09:39,876 --> 00:09:41,876 {\an1}- The four prisoners have teamed up, 221 00:09:42,001 --> 00:09:44,418 {\an1}and their first task is to get themselves 222 00:09:44,543 --> 00:09:46,710 {\an1}assigned to adjacent cells. 223 00:09:46,793 --> 00:09:49,043 {\an1}Given their escape record, the Anglin brothers 224 00:09:49,126 --> 00:09:51,876 {\an1}are separated when they get to Alcatraz. 225 00:09:52,001 --> 00:09:53,376 {\an1}- So there's a really interesting note 226 00:09:53,460 --> 00:09:54,626 {\an1}in the case file. 227 00:09:54,751 --> 00:09:57,543 {\an1}And the sending warden from Leavenworth 228 00:09:57,626 --> 00:09:59,043 {\an1}makes the statement that the two brothers 229 00:09:59,210 --> 00:10:01,043 {\an1}should not be celled next to each other. 230 00:10:01,126 --> 00:10:03,543 {\an1}And they had been known to plot escapes 231 00:10:03,668 --> 00:10:05,251 {\an1}from every other facility they'd been at 232 00:10:05,376 --> 00:10:06,876 {\an1}when they were together. 233 00:10:07,001 --> 00:10:08,960 {\an1}- After months of good behavior, 234 00:10:09,085 --> 00:10:11,210 {\an1}the warden allows the Anglin brothers 235 00:10:11,335 --> 00:10:13,793 {\an1}to move to adjacent cells. 236 00:10:13,918 --> 00:10:17,918 {\an1}West and Morris also get locked up side by side. 237 00:10:18,043 --> 00:10:19,918 {\an1}- It took some time to get these guys 238 00:10:20,043 --> 00:10:23,543 {\an1}nearly all lined up on B block. 239 00:10:23,668 --> 00:10:25,793 {\an1}- Now that they are all together, 240 00:10:25,918 --> 00:10:28,460 {\an1}they begin formulating a plan 241 00:10:28,585 --> 00:10:31,376 {\an1}to get through the roof vent, 242 00:10:31,501 --> 00:10:33,376 {\an1}down the side of the building, 243 00:10:33,501 --> 00:10:34,751 {\an1}past the fence, 244 00:10:34,876 --> 00:10:37,876 {\an1}and across the icy cold bay. 245 00:10:38,043 --> 00:10:40,210 {\an1}♪ ♪ 246 00:10:40,376 --> 00:10:45,210 {\an1}Step one, escape your cell. 247 00:10:45,376 --> 00:10:46,960 {\an1}Easier said than done. 248 00:10:47,085 --> 00:10:51,168 {\an1}The inmates know the bars can't be cut with a saw 249 00:10:51,251 --> 00:10:52,918 {\an1}and stepping out the door 250 00:10:53,043 --> 00:10:55,543 {\an1}puts you directly in firing line 251 00:10:55,668 --> 00:10:58,585 {\an1}of machine-gun-toting guards 252 00:10:58,710 --> 00:11:00,751 {\an1}on either end. 253 00:11:00,876 --> 00:11:04,126 {\an1}The only possible way out 254 00:11:04,251 --> 00:11:06,335 {\an1}is somewhere else. 255 00:11:06,418 --> 00:11:08,876 {\an1}♪ ♪ 256 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:11,668 {\an1}- Below the sink at the back of each cell 257 00:11:11,793 --> 00:11:15,335 {\an1}is a small 6x9 inch grated vent. 258 00:11:15,418 --> 00:11:17,168 {\an1}♪ ♪ 259 00:11:17,251 --> 00:11:19,543 {\an1}And if you could actually remove that grate, 260 00:11:19,626 --> 00:11:21,710 {\an1}what it provided access to 261 00:11:21,835 --> 00:11:23,710 {\an1}was a maintenance corridor 262 00:11:23,793 --> 00:11:26,835 {\an1}that ran the length of the cellblock. 263 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:29,460 {\an1}- The concrete around those vents was deteriorating 264 00:11:29,585 --> 00:11:31,876 {\an1}so they figured if they could make a big enough hole, 265 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,751 {\an1}they could get out of the back of the cell. 266 00:11:35,918 --> 00:11:37,710 {\an1}- The digging begins 267 00:11:37,835 --> 00:11:41,543 {\an1}in September of 1961. 268 00:11:41,626 --> 00:11:44,793 {\an1}♪ ♪ 269 00:11:44,918 --> 00:11:46,876 {\an1}- They stole spoons out of the cafeteria 270 00:11:47,001 --> 00:11:48,793 {\an1}and broke the tips off of 'em 271 00:11:48,918 --> 00:11:50,751 {\an1}and used 'em like picks 272 00:11:50,918 --> 00:11:54,335 {\an1}to pick away the concrete around the vents. 273 00:11:54,460 --> 00:11:56,418 {\an1}- And slowly, methodically, 274 00:11:56,585 --> 00:11:57,960 {\an1}over the course of six months, 275 00:11:58,085 --> 00:12:00,543 {\an1}the four men began to enlarge 276 00:12:00,668 --> 00:12:03,293 {\an1}the opening at the back of their cell. 277 00:12:03,418 --> 00:12:06,376 {\an1}- Morris exploits his job in the repair shop 278 00:12:06,460 --> 00:12:10,460 {\an1}to steal a vacuum motor and build a makeshift drill. 279 00:12:10,585 --> 00:12:13,918 {\an1}They hope it will help them break through the vent faster. 280 00:12:14,085 --> 00:12:15,668 {\an1}- West and Morris both supposedly 281 00:12:15,751 --> 00:12:17,376 {\an1}read a book about engineering. 282 00:12:17,501 --> 00:12:18,876 {\an1}They said if you use a hot plate, 283 00:12:19,001 --> 00:12:20,793 {\an1}heat the concrete up, like, in the back 284 00:12:20,918 --> 00:12:22,710 {\an1}of the cells as they're chipping away with it, 285 00:12:22,793 --> 00:12:24,376 {\an1}they said it would help make the concrete 286 00:12:24,460 --> 00:12:25,710 {\an1}fall apart more easily. 287 00:12:25,876 --> 00:12:27,626 {\an1}And I think they did experiment 288 00:12:27,751 --> 00:12:29,918 {\an1}for a time with that. 289 00:12:30,085 --> 00:12:32,501 {\an1}- They couldn't all four work at the same time. 290 00:12:32,626 --> 00:12:33,918 {\an1}They were paired in twos. 291 00:12:34,085 --> 00:12:36,543 {\an1}The Anglins were next to each other 292 00:12:36,626 --> 00:12:37,960 {\an1}and one would keep watch 293 00:12:38,085 --> 00:12:41,501 {\an1}as the other did the digging, and then they'd trade off. 294 00:12:41,626 --> 00:12:43,543 {\an1}Same with Frank and Allen. 295 00:12:43,668 --> 00:12:47,543 {\an1}- And then finally they could actually pass through it. 296 00:12:47,710 --> 00:12:50,876 {\an1}♪ ♪ 297 00:12:51,001 --> 00:12:52,501 {\an1}- Clarence Anglin is the first 298 00:12:52,585 --> 00:12:54,793 {\an1}to break through the back wall. 299 00:12:54,918 --> 00:12:57,418 {\an1}Freedom is so close he can taste it. 300 00:12:57,543 --> 00:12:59,960 {\an1}He reaches the roof vent 301 00:13:00,085 --> 00:13:03,168 {\an1}but discovers that it's bolted shut. 302 00:13:03,251 --> 00:13:05,585 {\an1}After months of patiently chipping away 303 00:13:05,710 --> 00:13:07,626 {\an1}at their cell walls, 304 00:13:07,751 --> 00:13:09,543 {\an1}their dreams of escape 305 00:13:09,668 --> 00:13:11,543 {\an1}could be over. 306 00:13:11,668 --> 00:13:13,293 {\an1}♪ ♪ 307 00:13:17,751 --> 00:13:20,043 {\an1}[dramatic music] 308 00:13:20,126 --> 00:13:22,251 {\an1}- Clarence Anglin has snuck through 309 00:13:22,418 --> 00:13:25,710 {\an1}a hole in the back of his desolate cell 310 00:13:25,876 --> 00:13:28,210 {\an1}to a grungy maintenance corridor 311 00:13:28,293 --> 00:13:31,835 {\an1}with an air vent that leads to the prison's roof. 312 00:13:31,918 --> 00:13:34,751 {\an1}But instead of an easy path to freedom, 313 00:13:34,876 --> 00:13:38,835 {\an1}he discovers that the vent is bolted shut. 314 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:40,335 {\an1}He and his co-conspirators 315 00:13:40,418 --> 00:13:42,876 {\an1}are going to have to cut through the bolts 316 00:13:43,001 --> 00:13:45,043 {\an1}in order to escape. 317 00:13:45,126 --> 00:13:47,626 {\an1}But they've got one hell of a problem. 318 00:13:47,751 --> 00:13:51,376 {\an1}How can they keep sneaking into the maintenance corridor 319 00:13:51,543 --> 00:13:55,168 {\an1}without the guards noticing they're not in their cells? 320 00:13:55,251 --> 00:13:56,751 {\an1}♪ ♪ 321 00:13:56,876 --> 00:13:58,251 {\an1}- To work on the vent on the top, 322 00:13:58,376 --> 00:14:00,543 {\an1}they would need to have something look like 323 00:14:00,626 --> 00:14:02,043 {\an1}they're in their cells. 324 00:14:02,168 --> 00:14:05,543 {\an1}- The escapees were true artists. 325 00:14:05,626 --> 00:14:08,210 {\an1}They fashioned fake heads 326 00:14:08,335 --> 00:14:11,751 {\an1}out of anything you can find in a prison. 327 00:14:11,876 --> 00:14:14,751 {\an1}We're talking wadded-up sheets, 328 00:14:14,918 --> 00:14:17,335 {\an1}we're talking soap, chicken wire. 329 00:14:17,460 --> 00:14:20,210 {\an1}- They were able to collect plaster, concrete mix, 330 00:14:20,335 --> 00:14:22,043 {\an1}and they were able to form dummy heads 331 00:14:22,210 --> 00:14:23,960 {\an1}that they put inside their beads 332 00:14:24,085 --> 00:14:25,960 {\an1}to make it look like they were still sleeping. 333 00:14:26,085 --> 00:14:28,585 {\an1}- The dummy papier-mache heads 334 00:14:28,710 --> 00:14:30,043 {\an1}were incredibly convincing. 335 00:14:30,168 --> 00:14:32,543 {\an1}- John and Clarence took up painting 336 00:14:32,626 --> 00:14:34,043 {\an1}and they wound up painting 337 00:14:34,126 --> 00:14:36,043 {\an1}some portraits of their girlfriends. 338 00:14:36,210 --> 00:14:37,501 {\an1}Well, they needed the flesh-colored paint 339 00:14:37,626 --> 00:14:39,960 {\an1}for the dummy heads, so they talked the guards 340 00:14:40,085 --> 00:14:42,085 {\an1}into letting them have the flesh-colored paints 341 00:14:42,251 --> 00:14:45,710 {\an1}for the portraits, which was actually a ruse 342 00:14:45,793 --> 00:14:47,210 {\an1}for the dummy heads. 343 00:14:47,376 --> 00:14:49,876 {\an1}- And the way to really make it human 344 00:14:50,043 --> 00:14:53,126 {\an1}was to add human hair. 345 00:14:53,251 --> 00:14:55,418 {\an1}- Clarence Anglin worked in the barbershop, 346 00:14:55,585 --> 00:14:57,751 {\an1}so he was able to collect hair from other prisoners. 347 00:14:57,876 --> 00:14:59,210 {\an1}- While he was cutting hair, 348 00:14:59,335 --> 00:15:01,043 {\an1}he would let some of the hair 349 00:15:01,126 --> 00:15:03,460 {\an1}fall in the cuffs of his pants 350 00:15:03,585 --> 00:15:06,210 {\an1}and he would walk it back to his cell every day. 351 00:15:06,335 --> 00:15:10,585 {\an1}So the dummy heads actually had real human hair. 352 00:15:10,751 --> 00:15:13,210 {\an1}- They would shove blankets and pillows in for the body 353 00:15:13,376 --> 00:15:15,876 {\an1}and then the head sleeps near the rails 354 00:15:16,043 --> 00:15:17,960 {\an1}or near the bars that the guard walks by. 355 00:15:18,085 --> 00:15:20,043 {\an1}So the guard could just look inside. 356 00:15:20,210 --> 00:15:22,501 {\an1}If they see a head there, they don't worry about it. 357 00:15:22,585 --> 00:15:23,793 {\an1}Or unless you go touch it 358 00:15:23,918 --> 00:15:25,085 {\an1}or actually get really close to it, 359 00:15:25,251 --> 00:15:27,376 {\an1}you wouldn't worry too much about it. 360 00:15:27,543 --> 00:15:29,543 {\an1}- Then there's the issue of disguising 361 00:15:29,668 --> 00:15:32,710 {\an1}the chipped away holes at the back of the cells. 362 00:15:32,876 --> 00:15:35,043 {\an1}- During the day, they concealed 363 00:15:35,126 --> 00:15:39,001 {\an1}the enlarged grates by creating false fronts 364 00:15:39,126 --> 00:15:41,418 {\an1}with a grate and cardboard 365 00:15:41,585 --> 00:15:45,043 {\an1}painted to look like the prison walls. 366 00:15:45,126 --> 00:15:46,418 {\an1}- They were able to actually secure 367 00:15:46,543 --> 00:15:48,876 {\an1}some of the actual paint from Allen West 368 00:15:49,043 --> 00:15:50,710 {\an1}that they're using to paint 369 00:15:50,876 --> 00:15:52,543 {\an1}in certain parts of the cell blocks 370 00:15:52,710 --> 00:15:54,001 {\an1}so it perfectly matches. 371 00:15:54,126 --> 00:15:55,085 {\an1}This was not something that was 372 00:15:55,210 --> 00:15:56,751 {\an1}just in place for two weeks. 373 00:15:56,918 --> 00:15:58,085 {\an1}These were things that were, you know, 374 00:15:58,251 --> 00:15:59,876 {\an1}being utilized for months and months. 375 00:16:00,001 --> 00:16:03,126 {\an1}So they were actually pretty compelling 376 00:16:03,251 --> 00:16:05,501 {\an1}in terms of how they crafted these. 377 00:16:05,626 --> 00:16:09,210 {\an1}- Covering their tracks turns out to be the easy part. 378 00:16:09,335 --> 00:16:11,710 {\an1}The hardened steel bolts on the vent 379 00:16:11,835 --> 00:16:14,251 {\an1}are almost impossible to cut. 380 00:16:14,376 --> 00:16:17,085 {\an1}And the vent is above the cellblock, 381 00:16:17,210 --> 00:16:21,418 {\an1}exposed to any guard who happens to glance upward. 382 00:16:21,543 --> 00:16:25,376 {\an1}The escapees need a way to work without being seen. 383 00:16:25,501 --> 00:16:29,168 {\an1}♪ ♪ 384 00:16:29,293 --> 00:16:32,001 {\an1}- Allen West came up with a really good plan 385 00:16:32,126 --> 00:16:34,210 {\an1}to hide in plain view. 386 00:16:34,293 --> 00:16:37,460 {\an1}His job was to not just paint the ceiling 387 00:16:37,585 --> 00:16:41,335 {\an1}of the cell house, but also to remove the debris 388 00:16:41,460 --> 00:16:43,293 {\an1}that he encountered along the way. 389 00:16:43,418 --> 00:16:45,918 {\an1}And those areas on top of the cell blocks 390 00:16:46,043 --> 00:16:47,460 {\an1}were not often traveled 391 00:16:47,585 --> 00:16:49,126 {\an1}and they were dusty as all get out, 392 00:16:49,251 --> 00:16:50,876 {\an1}and lots of paint chips up there. 393 00:16:51,001 --> 00:16:53,085 {\an1}So he made a mess one day 394 00:16:53,210 --> 00:16:56,876 {\an1}and swept all of that debris down the tiers. 395 00:16:57,001 --> 00:16:58,335 {\an1}Alcatraz had this reputation 396 00:16:58,418 --> 00:17:00,835 {\an1}for having the shiniest concrete floor 397 00:17:00,918 --> 00:17:02,501 {\an1}in all of the land. 398 00:17:02,626 --> 00:17:05,376 {\an1}It just wasn't fit that it would become dirty. 399 00:17:05,501 --> 00:17:09,209 {\an1}So he basically planted the idea, 400 00:17:09,293 --> 00:17:11,126 {\an1}"Hey, we wouldn't have this problem 401 00:17:11,251 --> 00:17:13,376 {\an1}"if I could just put some drop cloths up there. 402 00:17:13,501 --> 00:17:14,876 {\an1}"You wouldn't get mad at the work 403 00:17:14,959 --> 00:17:16,376 {\an1}"that you need me to do. 404 00:17:16,501 --> 00:17:19,793 {\an1}"So let me just put a couple drop cloths up there. 405 00:17:19,918 --> 00:17:21,543 {\an1}You know, problem solved." 406 00:17:21,668 --> 00:17:24,543 {\an1}- And believe it or not, he actually convinces 407 00:17:24,626 --> 00:17:27,209 {\an1}one of the officers and also the captain 408 00:17:27,334 --> 00:17:28,876 {\an1}that he would like to put up 409 00:17:29,043 --> 00:17:32,001 {\an1}blankets to completely enclose 410 00:17:32,085 --> 00:17:33,918 {\an1}above the cell block. 411 00:17:34,043 --> 00:17:36,085 {\an1}- His job wasn't that long. 412 00:17:36,210 --> 00:17:39,168 {\an1}These drop cloths were up there for months. 413 00:17:39,293 --> 00:17:42,085 {\an1}- The guards are fooled, 414 00:17:42,210 --> 00:17:44,668 {\an1}but the rest of the prison population 415 00:17:44,793 --> 00:17:47,168 {\an1}knows something's up. 416 00:17:47,293 --> 00:17:49,876 {\an1}- It really goes to say a lot that these convicts 417 00:17:50,001 --> 00:17:51,043 {\an1}never ratted them out. 418 00:17:51,126 --> 00:17:52,835 {\an1}They stood to benefit a lot 419 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:54,876 {\an1}if they would've alerted an officer 420 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:56,460 {\an1}that there was an escape going on. 421 00:17:56,585 --> 00:17:58,210 {\an1}And it really gives credit to, you know, 422 00:17:58,376 --> 00:18:00,251 {\an1}the entire inmate population 423 00:18:00,418 --> 00:18:03,043 {\an1}who worked with them collectively 424 00:18:03,126 --> 00:18:05,335 {\an1}to ensure that they were successful. 425 00:18:05,418 --> 00:18:07,293 {\an1}- They try to protect each other. 426 00:18:07,418 --> 00:18:09,210 {\an1}Even if you hate the guy in the cell next to you, 427 00:18:09,376 --> 00:18:11,043 {\an1}they'd rather, you know, 428 00:18:11,126 --> 00:18:12,626 {\an1}basically, screw the guards over 429 00:18:12,751 --> 00:18:15,293 {\an1}or screw the whole government and prison system over 430 00:18:15,418 --> 00:18:17,501 {\an1}and not give up any information. 431 00:18:17,585 --> 00:18:20,210 {\an1}It's a code in the prison system. 432 00:18:20,293 --> 00:18:22,293 {\an1}- With the drop cloths in place 433 00:18:22,418 --> 00:18:25,876 {\an1}and the rest of the inmates keeping their mouths shut, 434 00:18:26,001 --> 00:18:27,543 {\an1}the escapees have time to work 435 00:18:27,668 --> 00:18:30,668 {\an1}on removing the bolts from the ceiling vent. 436 00:18:30,751 --> 00:18:33,501 {\an1}- The ceiling ventilator itself, this passive vent, 437 00:18:33,585 --> 00:18:36,585 {\an1}was actually bolted into the cement up there 438 00:18:36,751 --> 00:18:40,126 {\an1}so they had to go up, and utilizing a file, 439 00:18:40,251 --> 00:18:43,251 {\an1}literally file away at those bolts. 440 00:18:43,418 --> 00:18:45,085 {\an1}- And then carefully, 441 00:18:45,251 --> 00:18:47,418 {\an1}they replace it with a bolt made from soap. 442 00:18:47,543 --> 00:18:49,168 {\an1}- I think it just goes to show 443 00:18:49,293 --> 00:18:50,543 {\an1}they left no stone uncovered 444 00:18:50,668 --> 00:18:53,126 {\an1}and tried to cover every single track 445 00:18:53,251 --> 00:18:55,376 {\an1}so that if they did go up and investigate, 446 00:18:55,460 --> 00:18:57,918 {\an1}there would be nothing to tip them off. 447 00:18:58,085 --> 00:18:59,293 {\an1}- That's gonna be their escape, 448 00:18:59,418 --> 00:19:01,376 {\an1}but just because you've got out of the prison 449 00:19:01,501 --> 00:19:03,835 {\an1}doesn't mean that you're home free. 450 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:06,085 {\an1}♪ ♪ 451 00:19:06,251 --> 00:19:08,918 {\an1}- The second layer of the Alcatraz defenses 452 00:19:09,043 --> 00:19:10,251 {\an1}is breached, 453 00:19:10,418 --> 00:19:13,543 {\an1}but there's much more work to do. 454 00:19:13,626 --> 00:19:16,668 {\an1}They need to find a way down from the roof 455 00:19:16,793 --> 00:19:21,710 {\an1}and then a way to cut through the exterior fences. 456 00:19:21,876 --> 00:19:24,043 {\an1}But most of all, 457 00:19:24,168 --> 00:19:26,168 {\an1}they need to figure out how to cross 458 00:19:26,251 --> 00:19:29,668 {\an1}the freezing San Francisco Bay. 459 00:19:34,918 --> 00:19:37,835 {\an1}[dramatic music] 460 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:39,626 {\an1}♪ ♪ 461 00:19:39,751 --> 00:19:43,418 {\an1}- Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers 462 00:19:43,543 --> 00:19:46,001 {\an1}have broken through two of the main defensive barriers 463 00:19:46,085 --> 00:19:48,460 {\an1}of this grim hell hole. 464 00:19:48,585 --> 00:19:51,835 {\an1}They've escaped their cells via secret backdoor exits, 465 00:19:51,918 --> 00:19:55,168 {\an1}and they've successfully filed through the bolts 466 00:19:55,293 --> 00:19:56,710 {\an1}of a ventilation grate, 467 00:19:56,835 --> 00:20:00,251 {\an1}giving them access to the prison roof. 468 00:20:00,418 --> 00:20:02,376 {\an1}But the manmade structures on Alcatraz 469 00:20:02,460 --> 00:20:05,168 {\an1}are only half the battle. 470 00:20:05,251 --> 00:20:07,626 {\an1}The final and most formidable barrier 471 00:20:07,751 --> 00:20:10,876 {\an1}is the frigid water of the San Francisco Bay. 472 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:12,043 {\an1}♪ ♪ 473 00:20:12,168 --> 00:20:18,126 {\an1}Only a few prisoners have ever tried to escape Alcatraz. 474 00:20:18,251 --> 00:20:20,418 {\an1}Six were shot and killed. 475 00:20:20,543 --> 00:20:24,376 {\an1}Two of them drowned trying to swim across the bay. 476 00:20:24,543 --> 00:20:28,293 {\an1}One prisoner actually made it to the mainland 477 00:20:28,418 --> 00:20:32,668 {\an1}but was soon found incapacitated by hypothermia. 478 00:20:32,751 --> 00:20:34,168 {\an1}♪ ♪ 479 00:20:34,251 --> 00:20:37,043 {\an1}One thing is obvious: 480 00:20:37,168 --> 00:20:39,626 {\an1}if you want to make it to freedom, 481 00:20:39,751 --> 00:20:43,210 {\an1}swimming the bay is not a workable plan. 482 00:20:43,293 --> 00:20:45,710 {\an1}- In some ways, it looks like 483 00:20:45,876 --> 00:20:49,043 {\an1}all that stands between you and freedom 484 00:20:49,168 --> 00:20:50,668 {\an1}is a one-mile swim. 485 00:20:50,751 --> 00:20:53,043 {\an1}But the people who have achieved that feat 486 00:20:53,210 --> 00:20:56,460 {\an1}are triathlon-level swimmers. 487 00:20:56,585 --> 00:21:00,126 {\an1}So the notion that any ordinary prisoner 488 00:21:00,251 --> 00:21:02,710 {\an1}would be able to make that journey 489 00:21:02,835 --> 00:21:06,543 {\an1}and survive is incredibly unlikely. 490 00:21:06,668 --> 00:21:09,126 {\an1}♪ ♪ 491 00:21:09,251 --> 00:21:14,043 {\an1}- The escapees needed flotation devices. 492 00:21:14,126 --> 00:21:16,293 {\an1}They needed, also, a raft. 493 00:21:16,418 --> 00:21:19,210 {\an1}Frank Morris, he was an avid reader. 494 00:21:19,335 --> 00:21:22,085 {\an1}He also had magazine subscriptions 495 00:21:22,210 --> 00:21:23,418 {\an1}that would aid him 496 00:21:23,543 --> 00:21:26,501 {\an1}in making these inflatable devices. 497 00:21:26,585 --> 00:21:28,668 {\an1}- One of the famous stories told is that 498 00:21:28,793 --> 00:21:32,001 {\an1}they read an article in "Popular Mechanics" magazine 499 00:21:32,085 --> 00:21:35,376 {\an1}that basically gave them the plans to construct these. 500 00:21:35,501 --> 00:21:37,085 {\an1}- There was a specific article 501 00:21:37,251 --> 00:21:39,085 {\an1}about how to take rubberized material 502 00:21:39,210 --> 00:21:40,418 {\an1}like a raincoat material 503 00:21:40,543 --> 00:21:42,210 {\an1}and make a life vest out of it. 504 00:21:42,335 --> 00:21:43,626 {\an1}- Because of the cold weather, 505 00:21:43,751 --> 00:21:46,251 {\an1}Alcatraz has hundreds of heavy raincoats 506 00:21:46,376 --> 00:21:48,335 {\an1}available for the inmates. 507 00:21:48,460 --> 00:21:50,043 {\an1}- At that time, the raincoats were 508 00:21:50,168 --> 00:21:51,543 {\an1}actually really good material. 509 00:21:51,710 --> 00:21:54,043 {\an1}They were rubber with a cotton mesh inside of it, 510 00:21:54,168 --> 00:21:55,918 {\an1}so they were really sturdy. 511 00:21:56,043 --> 00:21:58,876 {\an1}- These were being provided by other convicts. 512 00:21:59,001 --> 00:22:02,710 {\an1}They were being worn out to the recreation yard 513 00:22:02,835 --> 00:22:06,376 {\an1}and then they would walk away from them. 514 00:22:06,460 --> 00:22:09,501 {\an1}And then one of our escapee team guys 515 00:22:09,585 --> 00:22:11,793 {\an1}would walk back to their cell with it. 516 00:22:11,918 --> 00:22:14,001 {\an1}- They also knew that there was no tracking 517 00:22:14,085 --> 00:22:15,501 {\an1}of the issue of raincoats. 518 00:22:15,626 --> 00:22:17,168 {\an1}You know, the guards never said, 519 00:22:17,293 --> 00:22:19,543 {\an1}"Well, how many raincoats are out?" 520 00:22:19,668 --> 00:22:22,668 {\an1}So they ended up with, you know, dozens of raincoats. 521 00:22:22,793 --> 00:22:25,210 {\an1}They cut the backs out of the raincoats 522 00:22:25,335 --> 00:22:26,585 {\an1}and then they started shaping them 523 00:22:26,710 --> 00:22:29,460 {\an1}to make a raft and life vest. 524 00:22:29,585 --> 00:22:31,501 {\an1}- The way to make them 525 00:22:31,585 --> 00:22:34,335 {\an1}into something seaworthy, hopefully, 526 00:22:34,460 --> 00:22:35,793 {\an1}is a clever use 527 00:22:35,918 --> 00:22:38,210 {\an1}of three different ways of binding them. 528 00:22:38,376 --> 00:22:40,210 {\an1}There's stitching. 529 00:22:40,335 --> 00:22:41,876 {\an1}There is gluing, 530 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,793 {\an1}with most likely bookbinding rubber cement. 531 00:22:45,918 --> 00:22:48,210 {\an1}- They used some steam lines behind the cells 532 00:22:48,335 --> 00:22:50,668 {\an1}to vulcanize and put heat to the seam 533 00:22:50,751 --> 00:22:53,043 {\an1}and help seal it even better. 534 00:22:53,126 --> 00:22:54,543 {\an1}- This is a triple sealed, 535 00:22:54,668 --> 00:22:57,460 {\an1}homemade life jacket and raft. 536 00:22:57,585 --> 00:22:59,543 {\an1}- And West claimed that it would hold a Jeep. 537 00:22:59,710 --> 00:23:02,210 {\an1}He was an exaggerator, I'm sure. 538 00:23:02,293 --> 00:23:03,585 {\an1}But he said they would hold air. 539 00:23:03,751 --> 00:23:06,376 {\an1}- Making high-quality gear takes time. 540 00:23:06,543 --> 00:23:09,418 {\an1}It also requires privacy. 541 00:23:09,543 --> 00:23:11,293 {\an1}With the drop cloths still in place 542 00:23:11,418 --> 00:23:13,043 {\an1}above the cell block, 543 00:23:13,210 --> 00:23:17,210 {\an1}they turned that area into a secret life raft workshop. 544 00:23:17,376 --> 00:23:19,460 {\an1}- So for at least two months, 545 00:23:19,585 --> 00:23:22,043 {\an1}our escapees are going up and down 546 00:23:22,168 --> 00:23:25,543 {\an1}to their secret workshop to get everything together. 547 00:23:25,668 --> 00:23:28,293 {\an1}And they're not being seen at all 548 00:23:28,418 --> 00:23:29,668 {\an1}because of the drop cloths 549 00:23:29,751 --> 00:23:32,251 {\an1}that Allen West convinced the staff 550 00:23:32,376 --> 00:23:34,501 {\an1}that he should put up. 551 00:23:34,585 --> 00:23:38,543 {\an1}So they're able to work from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. 552 00:23:38,626 --> 00:23:40,126 {\an1}during music hour. 553 00:23:40,251 --> 00:23:42,585 {\an1}♪ ♪ 554 00:23:42,710 --> 00:23:45,960 {\an1}Any of the convicts that had permission 555 00:23:46,085 --> 00:23:50,543 {\an1}and had purchased or borrowed an instrument could practice. 556 00:23:50,626 --> 00:23:52,668 {\an1}[inmates cheering] 557 00:23:52,793 --> 00:23:55,835 {\an1}Maybe they weren't great at what they were playing 558 00:23:55,918 --> 00:23:58,210 {\an1}but the sounds that were being created 559 00:23:58,335 --> 00:24:02,835 {\an1}really covered a lot of that scraping, drilling, climbing. 560 00:24:02,918 --> 00:24:05,043 {\an1}- During music hour, other prisoners would 561 00:24:05,168 --> 00:24:06,876 {\an1}either play their radios louder than normal, 562 00:24:07,001 --> 00:24:08,793 {\an1}or they would have instruments to play music 563 00:24:08,918 --> 00:24:10,668 {\an1}'cause they knew that they were going to be working. 564 00:24:10,751 --> 00:24:12,710 {\an1}Even though the prisoners said "We didn't know 565 00:24:12,793 --> 00:24:15,335 {\an1}they was gonna escape," they were noisier than normal. 566 00:24:15,460 --> 00:24:17,335 {\an1}[inmates cheering] 567 00:24:17,418 --> 00:24:19,251 {\an1}- There's even this one rumor 568 00:24:19,418 --> 00:24:21,876 {\an1}that there was a secret melody 569 00:24:22,001 --> 00:24:25,501 {\an1}that someone would play if they saw a guard 570 00:24:25,626 --> 00:24:28,751 {\an1}about to turn and do his rounds. 571 00:24:28,918 --> 00:24:30,501 {\an1}Something that could be played 572 00:24:30,626 --> 00:24:33,751 {\an1}to alert the guys, "Look sharp." 573 00:24:33,876 --> 00:24:37,876 {\an1}But they're not ratting Allen and his team out. 574 00:24:38,001 --> 00:24:42,293 {\an1}And that's probably indicative of the hope 575 00:24:42,418 --> 00:24:45,376 {\an1}that every convict had 576 00:24:45,501 --> 00:24:49,460 {\an1}that someone would break Alcatraz. 577 00:24:49,585 --> 00:24:50,876 {\an1}- After they had their little workshop 578 00:24:51,001 --> 00:24:52,543 {\an1}built on top of the cell structure, 579 00:24:52,668 --> 00:24:53,793 {\an1}they had their rafts built. 580 00:24:53,918 --> 00:24:55,835 {\an1}They were able to make paddles. 581 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:57,710 {\an1}- Paddles are made from pieces of small wood 582 00:24:57,793 --> 00:24:59,376 {\an1}that they're able to steal 583 00:24:59,501 --> 00:25:02,418 {\an1}from different places around the shop. 584 00:25:02,585 --> 00:25:03,668 {\an1}- The next big obstacle they had 585 00:25:03,793 --> 00:25:05,210 {\an1}was the really cold water. 586 00:25:05,335 --> 00:25:07,710 {\an1}♪ ♪ 587 00:25:07,835 --> 00:25:09,876 {\an1}- Even with a raft and life vests, 588 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:14,501 {\an1}San Francisco Bay can easily kill the untrained boatmen. 589 00:25:14,585 --> 00:25:17,501 {\an1}But the team finds a surprise instructor: 590 00:25:17,585 --> 00:25:20,376 {\an1}the notorious Irish American crime boss, 591 00:25:20,460 --> 00:25:22,501 {\an1}Whitey Bulger. 592 00:25:22,585 --> 00:25:25,168 {\an1}- He said that the first time he saw John 593 00:25:25,251 --> 00:25:26,418 {\an1}walking across the rec yard 594 00:25:26,543 --> 00:25:28,543 {\an1}that it reminded him of Steve McQueen. 595 00:25:28,668 --> 00:25:29,876 {\an1}He thought they were good people. 596 00:25:30,001 --> 00:25:31,710 {\an1}He thought they were trustworthy. 597 00:25:31,793 --> 00:25:33,876 {\an1}He told 'em how to take the raincoats 598 00:25:34,001 --> 00:25:35,918 {\an1}and actually make wetsuits out of them. 599 00:25:36,043 --> 00:25:38,543 {\an1}He was a scuba diver back in the early 50s. And 600 00:25:38,710 --> 00:25:41,126 {\an1}he knew that in order 601 00:25:41,251 --> 00:25:44,001 {\an1}to help them survive the cold temperatures, 602 00:25:44,085 --> 00:25:45,960 {\an1}that they would need something to protect their skin. 603 00:25:46,085 --> 00:25:48,668 {\an1}So he told them how to take some of the raincoats 604 00:25:48,751 --> 00:25:50,876 {\an1}and actually wear 'em and use 'em 605 00:25:51,043 --> 00:25:53,126 {\an1}as protection against the cold. 606 00:25:53,251 --> 00:25:54,751 {\an1}- He also teaches them 607 00:25:54,876 --> 00:25:57,793 {\an1}how to build up endurance to the cold water. 608 00:25:57,918 --> 00:25:59,710 {\an1}- One of the security features of Alcatraz 609 00:25:59,793 --> 00:26:01,543 {\an1}was that the water that they utilized 610 00:26:01,668 --> 00:26:03,043 {\an1}in the shower area was always very warm. 611 00:26:03,168 --> 00:26:04,960 {\an1}And what they wanted to do was make sure that 612 00:26:05,085 --> 00:26:07,210 {\an1}the convicts could never get acclimated 613 00:26:07,335 --> 00:26:08,710 {\an1}to the cold waters outside. 614 00:26:08,876 --> 00:26:10,710 {\an1}So that way, that if they were somehow able 615 00:26:10,835 --> 00:26:12,960 {\an1}to make it to the shore, as soon as they hit the water, 616 00:26:13,085 --> 00:26:15,793 {\an1}they would realize that they would not be able to sustain. 617 00:26:15,918 --> 00:26:17,793 {\an1}But Whitey Bulger later stated 618 00:26:17,918 --> 00:26:20,710 {\an1}that some of the advice that he gave to Clarence Anglin 619 00:26:20,793 --> 00:26:23,876 {\an1}was that he was to utilize wet towels. 620 00:26:24,001 --> 00:26:25,793 {\an1}So they would actually take these towels 621 00:26:25,918 --> 00:26:27,876 {\an1}and then soak 'em in water that was cold 622 00:26:28,001 --> 00:26:29,876 {\an1}and drape the towels over them, 623 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:32,210 {\an1}and that would help them get acclimated. 624 00:26:32,335 --> 00:26:35,501 {\an1}- He also told 'em, "Once you make it out of here, 625 00:26:35,585 --> 00:26:36,710 {\an1}"you can't look back. 626 00:26:36,835 --> 00:26:38,626 {\an1}"You can't contact family. 627 00:26:38,751 --> 00:26:41,293 {\an1}You've got to basically disappear." 628 00:26:41,418 --> 00:26:44,210 {\an1}♪ ♪ 629 00:26:44,293 --> 00:26:46,376 {\an1}- The plan is set. 630 00:26:46,460 --> 00:26:48,960 {\an1}The consequences are clear. 631 00:26:49,085 --> 00:26:53,293 {\an1}On the night of June 11th, 1962, 632 00:26:53,418 --> 00:26:56,001 {\an1}it's time to go. 633 00:27:01,501 --> 00:27:05,626 {\an1}- On the night of June 634 00:27:05,751 --> 00:27:08,626 {\an1}everything literally came to a head, 635 00:27:08,751 --> 00:27:10,793 {\an1}and not just the dummy head. 636 00:27:10,918 --> 00:27:13,085 {\an1}They are placing those in the bed 637 00:27:13,251 --> 00:27:16,043 {\an1}for the very last time to fool these guards. 638 00:27:16,168 --> 00:27:19,126 {\an1}- The four men decide that it is time to go. 639 00:27:19,251 --> 00:27:21,876 {\an1}That they're going to exit their cells in the evening, 640 00:27:22,001 --> 00:27:25,293 {\an1}make their way up onto the roof of the prison, 641 00:27:25,418 --> 00:27:26,626 {\an1}down into the yard, 642 00:27:26,751 --> 00:27:29,251 {\an1}over the fence, and to safety. 643 00:27:29,376 --> 00:27:31,001 {\an1}♪ ♪ 644 00:27:31,126 --> 00:27:33,543 {\an1}- The lights out. They get out of their cell. 645 00:27:33,710 --> 00:27:36,251 {\an1}They had a ten-hour head start 646 00:27:36,376 --> 00:27:38,460 {\an1}before 7:00 the next morning. 647 00:27:38,585 --> 00:27:40,043 {\an1}♪ ♪ 648 00:27:40,210 --> 00:27:42,543 {\an1}- The officers at that point in time 649 00:27:42,668 --> 00:27:45,043 {\an1}probably had so much faith 650 00:27:45,126 --> 00:27:47,710 {\an1}in the security components of the prison 651 00:27:47,876 --> 00:27:50,210 {\an1}that they were becoming a little bit more laxed 652 00:27:50,376 --> 00:27:53,043 {\an1}and overconfident that once they did their final count, 653 00:27:53,210 --> 00:27:54,793 {\an1}there is no way that these guys were ever gonna 654 00:27:54,918 --> 00:27:57,710 {\an1}make it out of their cells. 655 00:27:57,876 --> 00:28:01,793 {\an1}- They are removing the fake grill 656 00:28:01,918 --> 00:28:04,668 {\an1}and fake wall piece from the back of their cell, 657 00:28:04,751 --> 00:28:06,751 {\an1}squeezing through that hole. 658 00:28:06,876 --> 00:28:08,835 {\an1}- But almost immediately, 659 00:28:08,918 --> 00:28:12,876 {\an1}the plan and reality start to diverge. 660 00:28:13,001 --> 00:28:15,793 {\an1}- The first hiccup is Allen West, 661 00:28:15,918 --> 00:28:20,793 {\an1}who isn't able to get through his vent. 662 00:28:20,918 --> 00:28:24,335 {\an1}The covering that he had used to conceal his opening 663 00:28:24,418 --> 00:28:26,085 {\an1}had actually hardened. 664 00:28:26,210 --> 00:28:28,626 {\an1}- He had re-cemented part of his cell up too much, 665 00:28:28,751 --> 00:28:30,210 {\an1}and he couldn't get back out of it 666 00:28:30,293 --> 00:28:31,710 {\an1}'cause he thought he was gonna get caught 667 00:28:31,835 --> 00:28:33,376 {\an1}so he kinda re-cemented it. 668 00:28:33,460 --> 00:28:35,751 {\an1}- He couldn't break through. 669 00:28:35,876 --> 00:28:37,460 {\an1}- About 9:37 that night, 670 00:28:37,585 --> 00:28:39,960 {\an1}Frank Morris came back down and asked for a sip of water. 671 00:28:40,085 --> 00:28:41,918 {\an1}Then West claimed, "Hey, I need help 672 00:28:42,085 --> 00:28:44,210 {\an1}getting out of my cell. Can you guys help me?" 673 00:28:44,335 --> 00:28:45,543 {\an1}So Morris said, 674 00:28:45,668 --> 00:28:47,460 {\an1}"I'll grab one of the other guys and we'll come help you." 675 00:28:47,585 --> 00:28:48,751 {\an1}And then Morris never came back, 676 00:28:48,918 --> 00:28:50,210 {\an1}so that's the last time West saw them. 677 00:28:50,335 --> 00:28:52,960 {\an1}- And that's a really interesting prospect. 678 00:28:53,085 --> 00:28:57,626 {\an1}If you're putting all this time and effort into escaping, 679 00:28:57,751 --> 00:29:00,001 {\an1}wouldn't you be ready at any time? 680 00:29:00,126 --> 00:29:03,543 {\an1}And it tells us maybe he didn't want to go. 681 00:29:03,710 --> 00:29:05,085 {\an1}Maybe he was scared. 682 00:29:05,210 --> 00:29:06,710 {\an1}Maybe he wanted the bragging rights. 683 00:29:06,835 --> 00:29:09,001 {\an1}That was certainly on brand for him. 684 00:29:09,126 --> 00:29:11,793 {\an1}But also too, there's another possibility, 685 00:29:11,918 --> 00:29:13,835 {\an1}maybe he was sabotaged. 686 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:16,043 {\an1}He was a wildcard, he was a loose cannon 687 00:29:16,168 --> 00:29:18,085 {\an1}and maybe they didn't tell him, 688 00:29:18,210 --> 00:29:20,418 {\an1}"Hey, buddy, tonight's the night." 689 00:29:20,543 --> 00:29:22,085 {\an1}♪ ♪ 690 00:29:22,251 --> 00:29:23,876 {\an1}- Leaving behind the instigator 691 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:25,043 {\an1}of their escape plan, 692 00:29:25,168 --> 00:29:26,626 {\an1}Morris and the Anglin brothers 693 00:29:26,751 --> 00:29:28,585 {\an1}race up to the workshop. 694 00:29:28,710 --> 00:29:31,001 {\an1}The clock is ticking. 695 00:29:31,085 --> 00:29:33,335 {\an1}- They're climbing up the pipes 696 00:29:33,460 --> 00:29:36,835 {\an1}to their secret workshop at the top of the cellblock. 697 00:29:36,918 --> 00:29:39,668 {\an1}From there, they're gathering their supplies. 698 00:29:39,793 --> 00:29:42,501 {\an1}Next, it's time to get to the roof. 699 00:29:42,626 --> 00:29:46,043 {\an1}[tense music] 700 00:29:46,168 --> 00:29:52,793 {\an1}♪ ♪ 701 00:29:52,918 --> 00:29:54,710 {\an1}- The top vent cover being knocked off 702 00:29:54,793 --> 00:29:56,043 {\an1}made a loud noise 703 00:29:56,126 --> 00:29:58,543 {\an1}when they dislodged it on the night of the escape. 704 00:29:58,668 --> 00:30:00,043 {\an1}The guards actually had a report 705 00:30:00,126 --> 00:30:02,585 {\an1}at a few minutes after 10:00 that night. 706 00:30:02,710 --> 00:30:04,085 {\an1}They heard a loud bang, 707 00:30:04,210 --> 00:30:05,751 {\an1}which sounded like somebody taking their hand 708 00:30:05,876 --> 00:30:08,376 {\an1}and hitting the side of a 55-gallon drum. 709 00:30:08,543 --> 00:30:12,376 {\an1}[whistles and cheers] 710 00:30:12,543 --> 00:30:15,376 {\an1}- But their fellow inmates come to the rescue 711 00:30:15,543 --> 00:30:17,835 {\an1}with a going-away present: 712 00:30:17,918 --> 00:30:20,876 {\an1}one final distraction. 713 00:30:21,043 --> 00:30:23,210 {\an1}- Every prisoner in there made so much noise 714 00:30:23,376 --> 00:30:26,043 {\an1}because they wanted to hide where that noise came from. 715 00:30:26,210 --> 00:30:29,543 {\an1}- The escapees are finally through the ventilation grate 716 00:30:29,668 --> 00:30:32,376 {\an1}and up on the roof. 717 00:30:32,543 --> 00:30:34,543 {\an1}- And they had no idea what the actual roof 718 00:30:34,668 --> 00:30:35,876 {\an1}of the building looked like 719 00:30:36,043 --> 00:30:37,210 {\an1}'cause nobody got to go up there. 720 00:30:37,335 --> 00:30:38,918 {\an1}- I always think that that must have been 721 00:30:39,043 --> 00:30:41,043 {\an1}such an amazing feeling 722 00:30:41,168 --> 00:30:43,710 {\an1}to finally make it onto the roof, 723 00:30:43,793 --> 00:30:45,210 {\an1}having never seen 724 00:30:45,293 --> 00:30:47,543 {\an1}the cityscape of San Francisco at night 725 00:30:47,710 --> 00:30:50,543 {\an1}without any bars or barriers. 726 00:30:50,668 --> 00:30:52,960 {\an1}♪ ♪ 727 00:30:53,085 --> 00:30:55,418 {\an1}- They're able to go up to the roof. 728 00:30:55,585 --> 00:30:56,835 {\an1}First, an inmate goes up 729 00:30:56,918 --> 00:30:59,043 {\an1}and next, the supplies need to come up. 730 00:30:59,168 --> 00:31:01,043 {\an1}The supplies that are coming up 731 00:31:01,168 --> 00:31:04,501 {\an1}through that air shaft are paddles, 732 00:31:04,585 --> 00:31:06,501 {\an1}the inflatables, 733 00:31:06,585 --> 00:31:08,335 {\an1}a concertina. 734 00:31:08,460 --> 00:31:11,876 {\an1}A concertina is not the same as an accordion, 735 00:31:12,043 --> 00:31:14,043 {\an1}but it is in the same family. 736 00:31:14,210 --> 00:31:19,626 {\an1}A concertina added a benefit because of its valve system. 737 00:31:19,751 --> 00:31:22,210 {\an1}The way it forces air out 738 00:31:22,293 --> 00:31:27,710 {\an1}would make for a great way to inflate a raft. 739 00:31:27,876 --> 00:31:29,543 {\an1}- Carrying all their gear, 740 00:31:29,668 --> 00:31:33,418 {\an1}the three men dash 100 feet to the edge of the roof, 741 00:31:33,543 --> 00:31:37,585 {\an1}careful to avoid being spotted by the guard towers. 742 00:31:37,751 --> 00:31:42,376 {\an1}They are now face to face with their next obstacle: 743 00:31:42,501 --> 00:31:44,251 {\an1}getting down. 744 00:31:44,418 --> 00:31:47,210 {\an1}- They're going to have to go down 35, 40 feet probably. 745 00:31:47,293 --> 00:31:49,585 {\an1}They work their way to the north-northwest side 746 00:31:49,710 --> 00:31:51,335 {\an1}of the cell building 747 00:31:51,418 --> 00:31:53,210 {\an1}and there's a stovepipe back there for the kitchen. 748 00:31:53,376 --> 00:31:55,210 {\an1}- Months of planning and hard work 749 00:31:55,335 --> 00:31:58,376 {\an1}and subterfuge will have all been for nothing 750 00:31:58,543 --> 00:32:02,043 {\an1}if they can't make it down this rickety pipe. 751 00:32:02,168 --> 00:32:05,335 {\an1}No turning back now. 752 00:32:05,460 --> 00:32:08,126 {\an1}♪ ♪ 753 00:32:12,918 --> 00:32:15,918 {\an1}[dramatic music] 754 00:32:16,043 --> 00:32:18,585 {\an1}- Inmates Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin, 755 00:32:18,710 --> 00:32:20,210 {\an1}and his brother John, 756 00:32:20,335 --> 00:32:23,335 {\an1}are on the precipice of freedom, 757 00:32:23,418 --> 00:32:26,710 {\an1}staring down from the roof of Alcatraz 758 00:32:26,793 --> 00:32:30,126 {\an1}to the ground 40 feet below. 759 00:32:30,251 --> 00:32:33,543 {\an1}One slip here would be fatal. 760 00:32:33,668 --> 00:32:36,251 {\an1}♪ ♪ 761 00:32:36,376 --> 00:32:39,126 {\an1}- They end up shimmying down a chimney 762 00:32:39,251 --> 00:32:42,585 {\an1}that goes down to the prison bakery. 763 00:32:42,710 --> 00:32:45,376 {\an1}- They kind of used it like a fireman does on a pole. 764 00:32:45,543 --> 00:32:48,960 {\an1}They wrapped around it and slid down it. 765 00:32:49,085 --> 00:32:50,543 {\an1}- It was really rusty and sooty. 766 00:32:50,710 --> 00:32:53,585 {\an1}And we know they used that because at the bottom, 767 00:32:53,710 --> 00:32:56,085 {\an1}after the escape, the next day they have photos 768 00:32:56,251 --> 00:32:57,876 {\an1}and there's a whole bunch of sooty footprints 769 00:32:58,043 --> 00:32:59,835 {\an1}all along the ground on the bottom 770 00:32:59,918 --> 00:33:02,126 {\an1}where they shimmied their way down the pipe. 771 00:33:02,251 --> 00:33:05,543 {\an1}- They had acquired an extension cord 772 00:33:05,626 --> 00:33:07,793 {\an1}that was 125 foot long. 773 00:33:07,918 --> 00:33:09,251 {\an1}♪ ♪ 774 00:33:09,418 --> 00:33:11,335 {\an1}- They used that extension cord 775 00:33:11,418 --> 00:33:13,710 {\an1}to lower their gear from the roof. 776 00:33:13,835 --> 00:33:15,126 {\an1}- Once they were down there 777 00:33:15,251 --> 00:33:16,376 {\an1}and had all their stuff down there, 778 00:33:16,460 --> 00:33:20,085 {\an1}they still had a probably 15-foot fence to get over. 779 00:33:20,251 --> 00:33:22,543 {\an1}- They took a blanket and laid it over the barbed wire 780 00:33:22,668 --> 00:33:25,251 {\an1}so it wouldn't cut 'em as they were going across it. 781 00:33:25,376 --> 00:33:27,168 {\an1}- They were able to climb over the fence 782 00:33:27,251 --> 00:33:29,210 {\an1}and they could see a spot where the barbed wire 783 00:33:29,335 --> 00:33:31,501 {\an1}was pushed down and they actually could see 784 00:33:31,585 --> 00:33:33,710 {\an1}where they worked their way through down the hill, 785 00:33:33,835 --> 00:33:34,876 {\an1}underneath the water tower. 786 00:33:35,001 --> 00:33:36,710 {\an1}And they know they went down that way 'cause they found 787 00:33:36,835 --> 00:33:38,210 {\an1}a coiled up extension cord 788 00:33:38,335 --> 00:33:39,501 {\an1}right at the bottom of that slope. 789 00:33:39,626 --> 00:33:42,126 {\an1}And then from there, they know they worked their way 790 00:33:42,251 --> 00:33:44,210 {\an1}basically to the northwest side of the island 791 00:33:44,293 --> 00:33:46,210 {\an1}which was the closest launching point 792 00:33:46,293 --> 00:33:47,876 {\an1}for their destination, 793 00:33:48,001 --> 00:33:51,418 {\an1}which West claimed was Angel Island. 794 00:33:51,585 --> 00:33:53,168 {\an1}They didn't want to go towards San Francisco 795 00:33:53,293 --> 00:33:54,335 {\an1}because too many people there, 796 00:33:54,418 --> 00:33:55,501 {\an1}too many people would see 'em, 797 00:33:55,585 --> 00:33:57,126 {\an1}and it'd be too hard for them to blend in 798 00:33:57,251 --> 00:34:00,335 {\an1}or to easily be seen by local police. 799 00:34:00,460 --> 00:34:03,376 {\an1}They knew Angel Island was largely unoccupied. 800 00:34:03,501 --> 00:34:05,001 {\an1}♪ ♪ 801 00:34:05,085 --> 00:34:07,376 {\an1}And they knew it was a missile base 802 00:34:07,460 --> 00:34:09,168 {\an1}back in the '50s and '60s 803 00:34:09,293 --> 00:34:10,418 {\an1}and it was starting to be deactivated 804 00:34:10,543 --> 00:34:12,876 {\an1}so there were probably a few Army personnel there, 805 00:34:13,043 --> 00:34:15,293 {\an1}but they assumed that there are gonna be boats there. 806 00:34:15,418 --> 00:34:17,210 {\an1}They were actually gonna be able to get a real boat 807 00:34:17,293 --> 00:34:19,460 {\an1}and get to the mainland. 808 00:34:19,585 --> 00:34:23,876 {\an1}- Multiple stages of the escape seem improbable. 809 00:34:24,043 --> 00:34:28,710 {\an1}♪ ♪ 810 00:34:28,876 --> 00:34:30,460 {\an1}The idea that these men 811 00:34:30,585 --> 00:34:32,876 {\an1}could leave their cells in the night 812 00:34:33,001 --> 00:34:34,418 {\an1}for weeks on end 813 00:34:34,543 --> 00:34:36,251 {\an1}and not be detected, for one, 814 00:34:36,376 --> 00:34:37,626 {\an1}given the security measures 815 00:34:37,751 --> 00:34:40,501 {\an1}that we know were in place in Alcatraz. 816 00:34:40,626 --> 00:34:45,293 {\an1}And then simply making it from outside of the prison 817 00:34:45,418 --> 00:34:47,918 {\an1}and to the shore, that itself is not a given 818 00:34:48,043 --> 00:34:50,960 {\an1}and that's part of the escape that they're not able to scout 819 00:34:51,085 --> 00:34:52,460 {\an1}and plan with the same precision 820 00:34:52,585 --> 00:34:56,585 {\an1}as they are the construction of, say, their raft. 821 00:34:56,751 --> 00:34:58,293 {\an1}- Against all odds, 822 00:34:58,418 --> 00:35:00,376 {\an1}they make it to the shore. 823 00:35:00,460 --> 00:35:03,210 {\an1}They inflate the raft with the concertina 824 00:35:03,293 --> 00:35:04,918 {\an1}and push off into the dark 825 00:35:05,085 --> 00:35:07,626 {\an1}and treacherous waters of the bay. 826 00:35:07,751 --> 00:35:10,001 {\an1}[uneasy music] 827 00:35:10,126 --> 00:35:15,501 {\an1}♪ ♪ 828 00:35:15,585 --> 00:35:17,835 {\an1}- No guard notices any of them are gone 829 00:35:17,918 --> 00:35:19,418 {\an1}until the next morning. 830 00:35:19,543 --> 00:35:22,376 {\an1}- 7:00 headcount, those three cells, 831 00:35:22,501 --> 00:35:24,585 {\an1}Morris and my uncles, the Anglin brothers, 832 00:35:24,751 --> 00:35:27,293 {\an1}they did not come out of their cells for headcount. 833 00:35:27,418 --> 00:35:29,085 {\an1}So one of the guards goes by 834 00:35:29,251 --> 00:35:31,210 {\an1}and takes his little walking stick 835 00:35:31,335 --> 00:35:33,293 {\an1}and taps them on the head. 836 00:35:33,418 --> 00:35:35,335 {\an1}- And he wouldn't wake up, and when they 837 00:35:35,418 --> 00:35:37,376 {\an1}tapped on the head they said, "He's dead." 838 00:35:37,460 --> 00:35:39,210 {\an1}Initially said, "I think he's dead." 839 00:35:39,335 --> 00:35:40,960 {\an1}They started hitting harder. 840 00:35:41,085 --> 00:35:42,543 {\an1}- Then that's when one of the heads 841 00:35:42,710 --> 00:35:44,710 {\an1}fell out on the floor and it kind of freaked him out. 842 00:35:44,835 --> 00:35:46,793 {\an1}He thought somebody had cut his head off, you know? 843 00:35:46,918 --> 00:35:49,210 {\an1}He went screaming, and that's when they realized 844 00:35:49,335 --> 00:35:51,210 {\an1}that they were gone. 845 00:35:51,335 --> 00:35:52,418 {\an1}[alarm blares, whistle blows] 846 00:35:52,585 --> 00:35:55,418 {\an1}- And they called it out, "Sound the alarm." 847 00:35:55,543 --> 00:35:57,376 {\an1}- Whitey Bulger told us when they discovered 848 00:35:57,501 --> 00:36:00,710 {\an1}that they were missing and the sirens went off, 849 00:36:00,793 --> 00:36:03,335 {\an1}he said everybody in the cell block just went to cheering 850 00:36:03,418 --> 00:36:05,585 {\an1}'cause they knew that they had made it. 851 00:36:05,751 --> 00:36:08,626 {\an1}He said it was a great moment in his life. 852 00:36:08,751 --> 00:36:10,001 {\an1}♪ ♪ 853 00:36:10,126 --> 00:36:11,251 {\an1}- Morris and the Anglin brothers 854 00:36:11,418 --> 00:36:15,710 {\an1}have successfully launched two things: 855 00:36:15,835 --> 00:36:17,668 {\an1}their escape raft 856 00:36:17,793 --> 00:36:21,501 {\an1}and one of the biggest manhunts ever. 857 00:36:21,626 --> 00:36:24,793 {\an1}♪ ♪ 858 00:36:30,043 --> 00:36:32,126 {\an1}[siren blares, whistle blows] 859 00:36:32,251 --> 00:36:35,210 {\an1}- On the morning of June 12th, 1962, 860 00:36:35,376 --> 00:36:38,210 {\an1}all hell breaks loose when guards discover 861 00:36:38,376 --> 00:36:41,710 {\an1}that Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers 862 00:36:41,835 --> 00:36:43,710 {\an1}have vanished. 863 00:36:43,876 --> 00:36:46,585 {\an1}- They just started searching everywhere for them. 864 00:36:46,710 --> 00:36:49,251 {\an1}- They say it was one of the largest manhunts 865 00:36:49,418 --> 00:36:50,710 {\an1}in history at the time. 866 00:36:50,835 --> 00:36:53,376 {\an1}- And FBI came out and they called the Coast Guard. 867 00:36:53,501 --> 00:36:54,876 {\an1}They called the local police. 868 00:36:55,001 --> 00:36:56,251 {\an1}They sent out BOLOs, 869 00:36:56,418 --> 00:36:57,835 {\an1}which is a "be on the lookout for" 870 00:36:57,918 --> 00:37:00,251 {\an1}to every local agency in the whole Bay Area 871 00:37:00,376 --> 00:37:02,210 {\an1}and then statewide after that. 872 00:37:02,335 --> 00:37:04,543 {\an1}Every police department was on the alert. 873 00:37:04,668 --> 00:37:07,751 {\an1}Two days after the escape, they found a packet of 874 00:37:07,876 --> 00:37:09,835 {\an1}personal effects that belonged to the Anglin brothers. 875 00:37:09,918 --> 00:37:11,751 {\an1}There were photographs, some written piece of paper. 876 00:37:11,918 --> 00:37:14,251 {\an1}They said they found it about 3/4 of a mile 877 00:37:14,376 --> 00:37:16,418 {\an1}northwest of Alcatraz. 878 00:37:16,585 --> 00:37:18,460 {\an1}Also, on the night of the escape, 879 00:37:18,585 --> 00:37:21,210 {\an1}they found a paddle right in the Badger Straits, 880 00:37:21,335 --> 00:37:22,876 {\an1}which is in between Angel Island 881 00:37:23,043 --> 00:37:24,585 {\an1}and Sausalito area. 882 00:37:24,710 --> 00:37:26,418 {\an1}It was similar to the other paddle 883 00:37:26,585 --> 00:37:27,835 {\an1}that was left on top of the cellblock for West 884 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:31,585 {\an1}so they know it was made on Alcatraz as well. 885 00:37:31,710 --> 00:37:33,918 {\an1}- There's a lot of speculation about 886 00:37:34,043 --> 00:37:35,668 {\an1}whether Morris and the men 887 00:37:35,751 --> 00:37:38,543 {\an1}might have actually planned a different escape route. 888 00:37:38,668 --> 00:37:40,960 {\an1}That maybe paddling towards Angel Island 889 00:37:41,085 --> 00:37:42,543 {\an1}was a diversionary tactic. 890 00:37:42,668 --> 00:37:46,210 {\an1}Maybe they discarded one of their paddles 891 00:37:46,335 --> 00:37:47,501 {\an1}into the water in order to 892 00:37:47,626 --> 00:37:49,501 {\an1}throw authorities off the chase. 893 00:37:49,585 --> 00:37:51,376 {\an1}- The next day after that, they found 894 00:37:51,460 --> 00:37:54,335 {\an1}a used life vest out of Cronkite Beach. 895 00:37:54,418 --> 00:37:55,918 {\an1}They could tell it was a used life vest. 896 00:37:56,043 --> 00:37:57,293 {\an1}It was made the same way 897 00:37:57,418 --> 00:37:58,876 {\an1}as the one left behind for Allen West 898 00:37:59,001 --> 00:38:01,710 {\an1}and that was found outside the Golden Gate North. 899 00:38:01,835 --> 00:38:04,501 {\an1}And one of the life vests that was left behind 900 00:38:04,626 --> 00:38:06,085 {\an1}when the FBI took it as evidence, 901 00:38:06,210 --> 00:38:08,585 {\an1}they took it to the lab and they filled it with air. 902 00:38:08,751 --> 00:38:11,085 {\an1}They put a weight on it and it held air indefinitely 903 00:38:11,251 --> 00:38:14,335 {\an1}so it didn't leak air at all. 904 00:38:14,418 --> 00:38:16,168 {\an1}They were following up on leads everywhere. 905 00:38:16,251 --> 00:38:17,668 {\an1}Relatives, cousins, 906 00:38:17,751 --> 00:38:20,001 {\an1}anybody who had anything to do with him. 907 00:38:20,126 --> 00:38:21,543 {\an1}- I was about 11 years old. 908 00:38:21,668 --> 00:38:24,293 {\an1}My mom and I was out raking the yard. 909 00:38:24,418 --> 00:38:26,168 {\an1}The FBI pulls up 910 00:38:26,251 --> 00:38:27,710 {\an1}and started asking my mom questions. 911 00:38:27,835 --> 00:38:29,460 {\an1}"Have you heard from your brothers? 912 00:38:29,585 --> 00:38:31,418 {\an1}Do you know where they're at?" 913 00:38:31,585 --> 00:38:35,085 {\an1}And she always had the same answer for them: 914 00:38:35,210 --> 00:38:37,210 {\an1}"I don't know where they are. 915 00:38:37,335 --> 00:38:39,126 {\an1}And if I did, I wouldn't tell you." 916 00:38:39,251 --> 00:38:40,710 {\an1}Our phones was bugged. 917 00:38:40,876 --> 00:38:43,210 {\an1}They was listening to everything 918 00:38:43,376 --> 00:38:44,710 {\an1}that the family was doing, 919 00:38:44,835 --> 00:38:47,126 {\an1}hoping that they would get some kind of clue. 920 00:38:47,251 --> 00:38:49,335 {\an1}But behind the scenes, 921 00:38:49,460 --> 00:38:51,543 {\an1}they were constantly harassing the family. 922 00:38:51,626 --> 00:38:53,543 {\an1}When my grandmother passed away, 923 00:38:53,710 --> 00:38:56,168 {\an1}of course the FBI was there at the funeral. 924 00:38:56,293 --> 00:38:57,585 {\an1}The FBI harassed the family 925 00:38:57,751 --> 00:39:00,376 {\an1}all the way up into the late '70s 926 00:39:00,501 --> 00:39:03,376 {\an1}when they decided to turn the case over 927 00:39:03,501 --> 00:39:05,126 {\an1}to the U.S. Marshall service. 928 00:39:05,251 --> 00:39:07,876 {\an1}- Neither the Anglin family nor law enforcement 929 00:39:08,043 --> 00:39:10,335 {\an1}has heard anything from the escapees 930 00:39:10,460 --> 00:39:12,126 {\an1}since the night they pushed their raft 931 00:39:12,251 --> 00:39:14,585 {\an1}off the shores of Alcatraz. 932 00:39:14,710 --> 00:39:17,793 {\an1}But that hasn't stopped the search. 933 00:39:17,918 --> 00:39:20,043 {\an1}- The investigation is still ongoing today. 934 00:39:20,168 --> 00:39:22,668 {\an1}The authorities say they will not close the case 935 00:39:22,751 --> 00:39:25,668 {\an1}until they reach the age of 99. 936 00:39:25,751 --> 00:39:29,460 {\an1}- I worked on this case for 17 years until I retired. 937 00:39:29,585 --> 00:39:31,376 {\an1}And every lead that I ever followed 938 00:39:31,501 --> 00:39:33,543 {\an1}turned out to be nothing. 939 00:39:33,626 --> 00:39:36,043 {\an1}It turned out to be dead-end on everything. 940 00:39:36,126 --> 00:39:38,543 {\an1}There's a couple things that I didn't really put out before 941 00:39:38,668 --> 00:39:40,376 {\an1}but I'll put out right now is 942 00:39:40,460 --> 00:39:41,501 {\an1}they left at, like, the worst time 943 00:39:41,585 --> 00:39:42,835 {\an1}they could have left. 944 00:39:42,918 --> 00:39:44,585 {\an1}The currents at 10:00 that night 945 00:39:44,710 --> 00:39:46,543 {\an1}just started going out to the ocean 946 00:39:46,626 --> 00:39:48,126 {\an1}at an ever-increasing pace 947 00:39:48,251 --> 00:39:49,418 {\an1}up until midnight. 948 00:39:49,585 --> 00:39:50,918 {\an1}And that's easily, 949 00:39:51,043 --> 00:39:53,085 {\an1}easily enough time for a three knot current 950 00:39:53,210 --> 00:39:55,001 {\an1}to push them all the way out into the ocean. 951 00:39:55,085 --> 00:39:58,126 {\an1}So if they had tried to paddle towards Angel Island. 952 00:39:58,251 --> 00:40:00,001 {\an1}More than likely, they said, "This isn't working. 953 00:40:00,126 --> 00:40:03,001 {\an1}We're dumping the boat." Boat went out to the ocean. 954 00:40:03,126 --> 00:40:04,626 {\an1}And when that happened, that's when the Anglin brothers 955 00:40:04,751 --> 00:40:06,543 {\an1}lost their little packet of information. 956 00:40:06,626 --> 00:40:08,085 {\an1}Probably fell out at the same time 957 00:40:08,210 --> 00:40:10,168 {\an1}and they probably tried to swim from that point 958 00:40:10,293 --> 00:40:12,751 {\an1}'cause they were probably in panic mode at this time 959 00:40:12,918 --> 00:40:14,418 {\an1}'cause they knew they weren't going towards Angel Island, 960 00:40:14,585 --> 00:40:15,876 {\an1}they were going towards the Golden Gate. 961 00:40:16,001 --> 00:40:17,585 {\an1}And by now, they're probably in the water 962 00:40:17,710 --> 00:40:19,710 {\an1}for an hour so they're probably 963 00:40:19,835 --> 00:40:21,001 {\an1}getting pretty cold and they're starting to lose 964 00:40:21,085 --> 00:40:22,751 {\an1}their functional time from hypothermia, 965 00:40:22,876 --> 00:40:24,543 {\an1}And then they would've finally succumbed to it 966 00:40:24,668 --> 00:40:27,543 {\an1}and would've probably sunk to the bottom. 967 00:40:27,668 --> 00:40:29,126 {\an1}So I can't ever say it 100% 968 00:40:29,251 --> 00:40:31,876 {\an1}because we don't have bodies to prove they died. 969 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:34,626 {\an1}But I can say, in all likelihood, 970 00:40:34,751 --> 00:40:37,126 {\an1}they probably did not make it. 971 00:40:37,251 --> 00:40:38,876 {\an1}- I'm gonna say this. 972 00:40:39,001 --> 00:40:42,335 {\an1}The answers to this mystery are in the FBI files. 973 00:40:42,418 --> 00:40:44,251 {\an1}It's clear that they were onto 'em 974 00:40:44,418 --> 00:40:46,251 {\an1}and close to 'em several times 975 00:40:46,376 --> 00:40:49,501 {\an1}because they were getting thousands of leads every day. 976 00:40:49,626 --> 00:40:51,210 {\an1}People that claimed that they had saw 'em. 977 00:40:51,335 --> 00:40:53,960 {\an1}You really don't have that many leads, in my opinion, 978 00:40:54,085 --> 00:40:57,710 {\an1}unless some of 'em were actually true. 979 00:40:57,876 --> 00:40:59,418 {\an1}- The scope of the investigation 980 00:40:59,543 --> 00:41:00,710 {\an1}for the FBI was massive. 981 00:41:00,793 --> 00:41:02,543 {\an1}I mean, it was nationwide. 982 00:41:02,626 --> 00:41:04,376 {\an1}Thousands of leads all around the country 983 00:41:04,501 --> 00:41:06,043 {\an1}'cause everybody saw them. 984 00:41:06,168 --> 00:41:10,376 {\an1}Even though nobody saw them, everybody saw them. 985 00:41:10,460 --> 00:41:11,876 {\an1}- They told the public 986 00:41:12,001 --> 00:41:13,876 {\an1}that there was no way they made it 987 00:41:14,001 --> 00:41:15,626 {\an1}the day after they couldn't find them, you know? 988 00:41:15,751 --> 00:41:16,793 {\an1}"Hey, they drowned. 989 00:41:16,918 --> 00:41:19,335 {\an1}They washed out to sea, end of story." 990 00:41:19,418 --> 00:41:21,126 {\an1}It was a big embarrassment. 991 00:41:21,251 --> 00:41:22,626 {\an1}If y'all really believed 992 00:41:22,751 --> 00:41:24,876 {\an1}that they died and they didn't make it, 993 00:41:25,001 --> 00:41:26,626 {\an1}why are y'all still looking for 'em? 994 00:41:26,751 --> 00:41:28,876 {\an1}Why didn't you close the case? 995 00:41:29,043 --> 00:41:33,043 {\an1}So I really don't believe that they believe 996 00:41:33,168 --> 00:41:34,376 {\an1}that they died. 997 00:41:34,501 --> 00:41:36,751 {\an1}♪ ♪ 998 00:41:36,918 --> 00:41:42,043 {\an1}- I think that the 1962 escape of Alcatraz 999 00:41:42,210 --> 00:41:47,710 {\an1}is a story that affirms confirmation bias. 1000 00:41:47,793 --> 00:41:52,126 {\an1}I can tell a group of 50 people 1001 00:41:52,251 --> 00:41:56,293 {\an1}the same story, even open it up for questions. 1002 00:41:56,418 --> 00:41:59,376 {\an1}Every piece of evidence 1003 00:41:59,543 --> 00:42:02,126 {\an1}that could lead for success, 1004 00:42:02,251 --> 00:42:04,835 {\an1}there's something else that could lead to failure. 1005 00:42:04,918 --> 00:42:07,793 {\an1}And the people that hear this story 1006 00:42:07,918 --> 00:42:09,876 {\an1}are gonna interpret it the way they want. 1007 00:42:10,001 --> 00:42:12,585 {\an1}That's what everyone loves about this story 1008 00:42:12,710 --> 00:42:16,126 {\an1}because they know what happened. 1009 00:42:16,251 --> 00:42:18,210 {\an1}What do I think? 1010 00:42:18,335 --> 00:42:19,876 {\an1}It depends on the day. 1011 00:42:20,043 --> 00:42:24,710 {\an1}♪ ♪ 1012 00:42:24,793 --> 00:42:28,126 {\an1}- So what happened to Frank Morris 1013 00:42:28,251 --> 00:42:31,585 {\an1}and his co-conspirators, John and Clarence Anglin 1014 00:42:31,710 --> 00:42:35,210 {\an1}after they sailed off into the darkness? 1015 00:42:35,335 --> 00:42:37,335 {\an1}We may never know. 1016 00:42:37,460 --> 00:42:39,543 {\an1}But Alcatraz, 1017 00:42:39,626 --> 00:42:42,293 {\an1}well, it closed the very next year. 1018 00:42:42,418 --> 00:42:46,001 {\an1}Many inmates later said that they helped the escapees 1019 00:42:46,085 --> 00:42:49,210 {\an1}because they had a bigger objective: 1020 00:42:49,293 --> 00:42:53,460 {\an1}shut Alcatraz down. 1021 00:42:53,585 --> 00:42:55,751 {\an1}One thing is certain. 1022 00:42:55,876 --> 00:43:00,085 {\an1}Those three men did make it off this cold rock. 1023 00:43:00,251 --> 00:43:01,710 {\an1}Dead or alive, 1024 00:43:01,835 --> 00:43:03,001 {\an1}they pulled off one of the most 1025 00:43:03,126 --> 00:43:06,210 {\an1}daring escapes in American history. 1026 00:43:06,335 --> 00:43:09,918 {\an1}♪ ♪