Escape from the "Alcatraz": the story of three inmates who escaped from the most secure prison USA

March 21, 1963 was closed to the famous American prison for dangerous criminals Alcatraz, also known as "the Rock". Located on the eponymous island off the coast of California, she at one time was considered the most protected in the United States. Presumably, after 29 years of operation, the prison was not committed any successful escape. But probably less because three prisoners who managed to escape from the island in 1962 and was not found, neither alive nor dead. A number of factors indirectly indicates that they survived, crossing the Bay.

First of all, imagine how crazy was the idea to escape from this prison. Alcatraz island is more than a mile from the shore, ice water and strong currents provide natural insulation.

Outside the building was surrounded by a high fence with barbed wire and guard towers. Three inmates were accounted for one overseer, each offender was held in solitary confinement.

However, in June 1962, three men managed to overcome all of these obstacles. A sophisticated escape implemented Frank Morris, who was convicted for Bank robbery, and brothers John and Clarence Engine, repeatedly convicted for theft and car theft. There was another and Alan West, but he managed to get out of the camera. They first attempted to escape and was transferred to Alcatraz.

Accomplices took the next camera. Found out that the old ventilation system on their block, unlike the others, not filled with concrete, the prisoners decided to Wade through it on the roof of the prison.

Ventilation was a narrow service tunnel, passing just behind the wall of their cells. And each cell was equipped with a ventilation hole the size of ten to twenty centimeters. Morris became the developer of the project, and three others in the first stage were busy making the necessary equipment.

A sharpened metal spoon they soldered with a stolen motor from a vacuum cleaner, using the rosin from silver dimes. Turned makeshift drill, which the conspirators almost a year take turns drilling a wall around the ventilation shaft. The noise drowned out the music that is daily for hours played in the block. Damage to the wall they hid false lattice, artfully made of sheets of cardboard.

Parallel criminals bartered from other prisoners jackets and rubber coats, of which he built a raft two four meters and life jackets. The oars cut from plywood.

Order them from disappearing prematurely noticed the guards, making the night rounds of the cells, the men made of papier-mâché and plaster casts of human heads with real hair styled in a Barber shop.

11 June 1962 after curfew accomplices covered dolls blankets and climbed into the tunnel through the hole in the wall. Only vest, as it turned out, never did a hole of sufficient size, and decided to run without it. Straightening the bars that covered the broken fan, the trio got to the roof and down to the water drainpipe. There they inflated the raft with the help of harvested small harmonics. About ten o'clock fugitives sailed from the coast.

The marks of Morris and Angelino lost. Officially, they are still missing. Two days after the escape was found waterproof package, which was phonebook, money, and family photos belonging to one of the Anglin brothers. Was also discovered an improvised life vest with visible teeth marks at the valve: the clip was not sealed, and swimmer hardly stayed on the surface (the water temperature in those days was no more than ten degrees Celsius).

Until 1978 the fugitive involved the FBI, and then a warrant for their arrest was transferred to the U.S. marshals Service. Since 2003, the investigating officer of this Department Michael dick. He believes that criminals managed to escape, evidence of which is almost 250 circumstantial evidence.

In particular, the mother of Angelinos for several years, received a gift of flowers from a mysterious anonymous. In addition, it is believed that John and Clarence went to her funeral in 1973, dressed in women's dresses. But the historian Frank Heaney learned from relatives of Angelinos that they allegedly received a postcard from South America signed by the two brothers. The fate of Morris knows nothing.

A warrant for the arrest of criminals will be cancelled only after they reach the age of one hundred years. In the meantime, the hunt for fugitive prisoners "Alcatraz" continues.