Letters from Alcatraz

by Esslinger, Michael

  Alcatraz photographed from San Francisco’s North Point in 1865.

  A military defense map from 1863 representing cannon firing ranges. Fortresses located at Alcatraz, Lime, and Fort Point created a triangular defense blueprint. As enemy ships progressed in the San Francisco Bay, they would navigate straight into the firing ranges of these heavily armored fortifications.

  Topographical engineers began conducting geological surveys and by 1853, US Army Engineers started constructing a military fortress on the island, along with the Pacific Coast’s first operating lighthouse. Earlier in 1848, the discovery of gold along the American River in California brought shiploads of miners from around the world to the West Coast in search of the precious metal. The once sleepy little village transformed overnight into a thriving harbor, with transcontinental ships pouring in from around the world. Prior to the discovery of gold, the Bay had been used primarily for the transportation of hides and other provisions between the various Missions spread around the Bay. As word spread around the globe of abundant wealth in California, the United States Government invoked security measures to protect its land and mineral resources from seizure by other countries. One early survey report described the San Francisco Bay in the 1850s as a “vast forest of ship masts, waving back the crews who abandoned their vessels in search of Gold.”

  After several years of laborious construction and various armament expansions, Alcatraz was established as the United States’ western symbol of military strength. The new military fortress featured long-range iron cannons and four massive, 15-inch Rodman guns, which were capable of sinking mammoth hostile ships three miles away.

  As a military fortress, one of Alcatraz’s prime objectives was to protect California’s mineral resources from hostile foreign powers. Heavy armaments of long-, medium-, and short- range cannons were strategically targeted to protect San Francisco from enemy ships entering the Golden Gate. Early fortifications included massive 15-inch Rodman cannons with a barrel weight of nearly 50,000 pounds, and smaller varieties of Howitzer, Columbiad, and Mortar cannons.

  The guns of Alcatraz could fire 6,949 pounds of iron shot in a single barrage. Though the fortress would eventually fire only one 400-pound canon round at an unidentified ship—and miss its target—the island lived up to its self-made reputation as an icon of US military power. But within a few decades, the island’s role as a military fortress would start to fade away and its defenses would become obsolete by the standards of more modern weaponry.

  Because of its natural isolation, and because it was surrounded by freezing waters and hazardous currents, Alcatraz would soon be considered by the US Army as an ideal location for holding captives.

  An early illustration of the original island structures in 1883.

  The Alcatraz citadel as it appeared in 1893 following the Civil War. Note the cannon balls used around the perimeter as decorative border pieces. The building was later converted into apartments for married officers until construction on the new cellhouse began in 1909.

  A 1902 photograph of the main roadway leading to the citadel. Note the smoothbore Columbiad cannon, which is buried muzzle-first as a road bumper, as referenced in the original caption.

  The island began receiving Civil War prisoners in 1861, and in 1898, the Spanish-American War would bring the prison population from a mere 26 to over 450.

  Alcatraz Upper Prison, circa 1903.

  Prisoner line up and count at the Upper Prison in 1903. Numerous counts were performed daily. Dual lineups—as seen in this photo—were referred to by prisoners and guards as “nuts and butts.” Armed sentries patrolled the perimeter wall and regulated activities within the stockade walls.

  The only known surviving photograph of the Upper Prison interior, circa 1902. Clearly visible under close examination are personal photographs and other items in the cells. The Upper Prison faculties could house 307 prisoners.

  A panoramic photograph showing the devastating aftermath of the San Francisco Earthquake in 1906 from Russian Hill to Telegraph Hill. Alcatraz is seen in the distance, and suffered only minor damage. Alcatraz received 176 prisoners from various local jails for more secure housing.

  Then in 1906, following the catastrophic San Francisco earthquake, hundreds of civilian prisoners were transferred to the island for safe confinement. By 1912, a large cellhouse had been constructed on the island’s central crest, and by the late 1920s, the three-story structure was nearly at full capacity.

  The Alcatraz Military Prison cellhouse began construction in 1909 and was completed in late 1911. The new cellhouse opened in February 1912 and at the time of its completion, it was the largest steel reinforced concrete structure in the world.

  Alcatraz was the army’s first long-term prison, and it was already beginning to build its reputation as a tough detention facility by exposing inmates to harsh confinement conditions and iron handed discipline. The prisoners were separated into three classes based on their conduct and on the crimes they had committed, and each class held distinct levels of privilege. For example, prisoners in the third class were not allowed to have reading material from the library or visits and letters from relatives, and a strict rule of silence was rigidly enforced at all times for them. Prisoners who violated these rules faced strict disciplinary measures. In addition to losing their earned class rankings, violators were assigned punishments that included, but were not limited to, working on hard labor details, wearing a 12-pound ball and ankle chain, and enduring solitary lockdowns with a severely restricted bread and water diet.

  The average age for offending soldiers was 24 years, and most of the prisoners were serving short-term sentences for desertion or lesser crimes.

  The original lighthouse built in 1854 used a powerful optical lens to amplify the luminance of a whale oil-burning lamp. It was replaced in 1909 with a modern electric 84-foot concrete tower with adjacent living quarters and was lit with a smaller fourth-order lens.

  A cellblock architecture drafting from Lt. Colonel R.B. Turner, Constructing Quartermaster, May, 1908.

  An early military map of Alcatraz drafted by the US Army Quartermaster in January 1928. Many of the original structures remained in use during the federal prison years.

  However, it wasn’t uncommon to find soldiers serving longer sentences for the more serious crimes of insubordination, assault, larceny, and murder. One interesting element of the military order was that prisoners’ cells were used only for sleeping, unless the inhabitant was in lock down status. All prisoners were prohibited from visiting their cells during the day. Inmates with first or second class rankings were allowed to go anywhere about the prison grounds, except for the guards’ quarters on the upper levels.

  Despite the stringent rules and harsh standards for hardened criminals, Alcatraz primarily functioned in a minimum-security capacity. The types of work assignments given to inmates varied depending upon the prisoners, their classification, and how responsible they were. Many inmates worked as general servants who cooked, cleaned, and attended to household chores for island families. In many cases, select prisoners were entrusted to care for the children of staff members. Alcatraz was also home to several Chinese families, who were employed as servants, and made up the largest segment of the island’s civilian population.

  The lack of a strict focus on prison security favored the inmates who hoped to make a break to freedom. But in spite of their best efforts, most escapees never made it to the mainland, and usually turned back to be rescued from the freezing waters. Those who were not missed and failed to turn back eventually would tire and drown. While inmates could conceptually escape the watchful eyes of a sentry, scale a fence, or evade gunfire, the strong and rushing tides were constant and unforgiving, even for the most adept and athletic escapees. Although the San Francisco shoreline was only one and a quarter miles south and the Marin shores three miles north of the island, Alcatraz was isolated from both as though it was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Bay waters were ultimat
ely the foremost deterrent and key to the prison’s historic success.

  The public disliked having an army prison as a sterile focal point in the middle of the beautiful San Francisco Bay, so the Military made arrangements to have soil from Angel Island brought over, and it was spread throughout the acreage of Alcatraz. Several prisoners were trained as able gardeners, and they planted numerous varieties of flowers and decorative plants to give the island a more pleasing appearance from the mainland. The California Spring and Wild Flower Association contributed top-grade seeding, ranging from rose bushes to lilies. The island residents enjoyed tending their gardens, and it was said that the landscape work assignments were among those most favored by the prisoners.

  Over the decades the prison’s routine became increasingly more relaxed, and recreational activities grew more prevalent. In the late 1920s prisoners were permitted to build a baseball field, and were even allowed to wear their own uniforms. On Friday nights the army hosted “Alcatraz Fights” that featured boxing matches between inmates selected from the Disciplinary Barracks population. These fights were quite popular and often drew visitors from the mainland who had managed to finagle an invitation.

  Due to rising operational costs, the Military decided to close the prison in 1934, and ownership shifted to the Department of Justice. Coincidentally, the Great Depression became the root of a severe crime surge during the late 20s and 30s, which ushered in a new era of organized crime. The gangster era was in full swing, and the nation bore witness to horrific violence, brought on by the combined forces of Prohibition and desperate need. The American people watched in fear as influential mobsters and sharply dressed public enemies exerted heavy influence on metropolitan cities and their authorities. Law enforcement agencies were often ill-equipped to deal with the onslaught, and would frequently cower before better-armed gangs in shootouts and public slayings.

  A public cry went out to take back America’s heartland, and so the die was cast for the birth of a unique detention facility–one so forbidding that it would eventually be nicknamed Uncle Sam’s Devil’s Island.

  A military prison sentry paroling Block A in 1932.

  United States Federal Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island.

  Alcatraz was the ideal solution. It could serve the dual purpose of incarcerating public enemies while standing as a visible icon, a warning to this new and ruthless brand of criminal. Sanford Bates, the head of the federal prisons, and Attorney General Homer Cummings led the project, and they kept a hand in on the finely detailed design concepts. One of the nation’s foremost security experts, Robert Burge, was commissioned to help design a prison that was escape proof, as well as outwardly forbidding. The original cellblock, built in 1909, would undergo extensive upgrades and renovations.

  In April 1934 work was begun to give the military prison a new face and a new identity. The soft squared bars were replaced with modernized tool-proof substitutes. Electricity was routed into each cell, and all of the utility tunnels were cemented to completely remove the possibility that a prisoner could enter or hide in them. Tool-proof iron window coverings would shield all areas that could be accessed by inmates. Special Gun Galleries would transverse the cellblock perimeters, allowing guards to carry weapons while remaining protected behind iron rod barriers.

  Alcatraz was designed with some of the most sophisticated security features of its era. Officers could control individual or groups of cells remotely using pull levers located at the end of each cellblock.

  View of Broadway from the east gun gallery.

  These secure galleries, which were elevated and out of reach of the prisoners, would be the control center for all keys, and would allow the guards the unique ability to oversee all inmate activities.

  Special tear gas canisters were permanently installed in the ceiling of the dining room, and they could be remotely activated from both the gun gallery and the outside observation points. Guard towers were strategically positioned around the perimeter, and new technology allowed the use of electromagnetic metal detectors, which were positioned outside of the dining room and on the prison industries access paths. The cellhouse contained a total of nearly 600 cells, with no one cell adjoining any perimeter wall. If an inmate managed to tunnel their way through the cell wall, they would still need to find a way to escape from the cellhouse itself. The inmates would only be assigned to Blocks B, C, and D, since the primary prison population would not exceed 300 inmates. The implementation of these new measures, combined with the natural isolating barrier created by the icy bay waters, meant that the prison was nearly ready to receive the nation’s most incorrigible criminals.

  But even during its tenure as a military prison, Alcatraz had carried the reputation as being dark, poorly ventilated, and barbaric. The future warden would later write that Alcatraz was modernized to break this reputation, and would be maintained as such over its history. He wrote:

  Standing where we could see the side walls and look down the length of the corridor, I called attention to the forty six windows on one side and fifty two windows on the other side and directing a glance upward to the roof with 372 feet of 4-½ foot-wide skylights. I said, “I remember going over the amount of daylight with our Superintendent of Construction, when we were putting in some new windows, and his measurements showed me that we have about 3,800 square feet of light space in the cellhouse. We have ample cross ventilation as well as motor operated exhaust fans for pulling smoke and bad air out, and we are insistent on cleanliness, so that’s why you don’t get any prison smell such as you say you expected.”

  The Bureau of Prisons selected James Aloysius Johnston as the new warden of Alcatraz. Johnston was an ideal choice, with his strict ideals and humanistic approach to reform.

  James Aloysius Johnston, a progressive minded reformer, served as Alcatraz warden from 1934 to 1948.

  He came to the position with a broad-based background in business, and more than twelve years of experience in the California Department of Corrections. James Johnston had been appointed as the warden of San Quentin Prison in 1913, and had also served a brief appointment at Folsom Prison. He had become well known for the programs he implemented in the interest of prisoner reform. He didn’t believe in chain gangs, but instead, he thought that inmates should report to a job where they were respected and rewarded for their efforts.

  Nicknamed the “Golden Rule Warden” at San Quentin, Johnston was praised in newspapers for improvements made to California highways, many of which were graded by prisoners in his road camps. Although inmates were not compensated for their work monetarily, they were rewarded with sentence reductions. Johnston also established several educational programs at San Quentin that proved successful with a good number of inmates. But despite his humane approach to reform, he also carried a reputation as a strict disciplinarian. His rules of conduct were among the most rigid in the correctional system, and harsh punishments were meted out to inmates who defied prison regulations. During his tenure at San Quentin, Johnston oversaw the executions by hanging of several inmates, and he was not unfamiliar with the challenges of managing the most vicious rogues of society.

  As warden of Alcatraz, Johnston was given the authority to handpick his correctional officers from the entire federal prison system. Working together with Federal Prisons Director Sanford Bates, the new warden devised new guiding principles under which the prison would operate. To begin with, it was established that prisoners would have to “earn” their transfer to Alcatraz from other prisons, and that no one would be directly sentenced to Alcatraz from the courts. Inmates who sought an attorney to represent them while incarcerated at Alcatraz would have to do so by direct request to the Attorney General. All privileges would be limited, and no single inmate—regardless of his public stature—would be allotted special rights or freedoms.

  Visitation rights would have to be earned by the inmates, and no visits would be allowed for the first three months of residence at Alcatraz. All visits would have to be approved d
irectly by the warden, and their number would be limited to only one per month. Inmates would be given restricted access to the Prison Library,

  In 1947 the library at Alcatraz contained 9,243 titles of fiction and nonfiction works; the library grew to approximately 12,000 titles by 1962. Titles ranged from travel to technical works and from classics to modern books; the inmates at Alcatraz were typically very well read. The average inmate in the general population would read 75 to 100 books a year, not including periodicals and magazines. Books held in the Alcatraz Library were given a special index number and a mimeographed catalog was distributed to each cell. Inmate numbers were used in lieu of library cards for checkout records. Paperbacks were generally removed from their original binding and bound with new boards. Bibles were the only books that were allowed to remain with inmates in their cell indefinitely. Former inmate Robert Gilford described the process for checking books out of the library: “You had a library card ... full of numbers. And you was supposed to keep 20-numbers on there. The numbers would correspond with the titles of the book [in the catalog] and each day you put your card up there when you go to work and one of the guys that worked in there would come and pick the cards up and then they’d go in there and they’d look and try to get the book, the number one choice. If they couldn’t, they take the number two choice and deliver them to your cell.” Reading materials at Alcatraz were heavily censored, and the subjects of sex, violence, and crime were strictly forbidden. The exception to this rule was war-themed, old western, and some adventure material. War titles spanned from the Civil War through World War II. War titles were believed to inspire patriotism and higher industry production for the military. Adventure books were among the most popular, and sometimes the violent elements were overlooked if administrators and the Chaplain felt that the “good over evil” elements improved morale, or even in some cases created fear of the environmental elements (i.e., sharks) to discourage escapes. The resident Chaplain, who was also responsible for the content of the reading materials, generally supervised the prison library. The prison featured its own bookbindery, and utilized a special catalog system. The library also included a music collection of nearly 1,000 records.