by Penny Warner
Joining her three friends on the dock, Cody got in the ferry line with the rest of her class. The sign read ALCATRAZ TOURS, and Cody felt a rush of excitement at the thought that they would soon be at the prison. Glancing around for her dad, she saw him talking with another parent—a blonde woman who looked familiar, but Cody couldn’t place her. At least she was keeping him busy.
“Let’s get a spot at the front of the ferry so we have a good view on the way over,” Quinn said, pulling on his baseball cap. Luke already had his hood up, ready to face the cold and wind, while M.E. had wrapped a multicolored, hand-knitted muffler around her face, head, and neck, leaving only her brown eyes visible. As for Cody, she could almost feel her curly red hair curling even more, thanks to the dampness in the air. Good thing she had put her hair in a ponytail, or those curls would look like a giant fiery ball of coils.
One of the dockworkers released the chain to the ferry, and the students began the walk up the rickety gangplank. The Code Busters tried to ease ahead past the rest of the crowd and grab the best spots for viewing, but once they arrived at the bow of the ferry, Cody’s face fell.
Matt the Brat was already there.
“I beat ya!” he said. His breath smelled of peanut butter.
“We weren’t racing,” Luke said, pulling up next to him. Cody stood next to Luke, with M.E. and Quinn on the other side. She tried to ignore the class bully, who no doubt would try to get the Code Busters into trouble. She promised herself not to take his bait, and instead she focused on the sight of the island looming ahead, surrounded by rapidly disappearing fog. What a cold, desolate place, Cody thought as the wind whipped at her face.
Someone tapped Cody on the back. She turned to see Matt grinning at her.
Again, Cody wondered if Matt had been the one who’d written the cryptic message. Cody shook her head. Besides the fact that he’d never write a poem, his spelling was atrocious, his typing was full of errors, and he would never be able to create a code like that. There was no way he could have written the secret message that the Code Busters had received.
But who else knew they were going to the Rock? Ms. Stad? Her classmates? The bus driver? They were all unlikely suspects. Anyone else?
And what did the message mean?
The ferry picked up speed, and the wind swept through Cody’s clothes. Her cheeks grew numb from the icy chill. A spray of water suddenly loomed up from the bay, catching Matt directly in the face.
The Code Busters stifled their laughter, knowing it would only make Matt mad. The sight of the island emerging from the fog distracted Cody from Matt, the spray of water, and the freezing temperature. The place looked depressing, even a little dangerous, sitting in the middle of what seemed like nowhere. As they got closer, she spotted the lighthouse—she had a picture of it in her collection—and wondered if they would be allowed to go up inside. Next she recognized the three-story cell block from the pictures Ms. Stad had shown in class. Before she knew it, the ferry docked.
“Welcome to Alcatraz!” said a small Asian woman wearing an olive-green uniform and a wide Stetson hat, using a bullhorn. “My name is Jodie Huynh and I’m a ranger here on the Rock.” Her name was spelled HUYNH on her name tag, but she pronounced it “Win.” “You are about to enter Alcatraz Federal Prison exactly the same way the prisoners did many years ago, via the gangplank. After you arrive on the dock, please meet your teachers and the rest of your class in the designated areas.”
Cody found Ms. Stadelhofer waving her arms in an area off to the side. She headed over with M.E., while Quinn and Luke met their class and Mr. de Lannoy in another area. Mr. Jones was one of the last to lumber down the gangplank a few moments later; he waved to her. Cody acknowledged him with a small smile.
So far, so good, she thought.
“Hello, students from Berkeley Cooperative Middle School,” Ranger Huynh said through the bullhorn. Everyone quieted down. “As I mentioned, I’m a park ranger here on Alcatraz, and I’ll also be your tour guide today. Before we begin the tour, I want to tell you a few things about the prison. After the tour, which will take about an hour, you’ll be free to explore the island, except for the restricted areas, so watch for signs. Some of the buildings are very old, and some of the walls could come crumbling down at any time. That’s part of the reason the prison was finally closed. But we’ll talk more about that on the tour.”
Cody looked at M.E., her eyes wide. “Cool! We get to look around on our own,” she whispered. “Maybe we’ll find out what that note is about.”
M.E. nodded. “I’ll bet this place is full of hidden passageways and secret messages left behind by the prisoners.”
The ranger continued. “For nearly thirty years, from 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz Island was the most notorious federal prison in the United States. We had many famous prisoners here—Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and the Birdman, Robert Stroud. The prisoners are gone, but we get about a million visitors a year—and lots of birds. This is both a park and a bird sanctuary. The island may look small, but there are more than twenty-five acres here, home to salamanders, cormorants, deer mice, pigeons, gulls, harbor seals, and herons. It may also appear far away from the city, but it’s only one and a half miles from Fisherman’s Wharf.”
I’m a good swimmer, Cody thought. I wonder if I could swim that far?
Ranger Huynh seemed to read her mind. “But don’t be tempted to dive in and swim for shore. You’d probably die of hypothermia within minutes.”
Cody shivered.
“In a few moments we’ll walk up the hill to Cell Block B, the main cell house. It’s a steep climb, so be prepared. The fog is lifting, so be sure to check out the views of San Francisco, Marin, Berkeley, and Oakland. Everyone ready? All right then, follow me. And watch your step. Remember what I said about the birds.”
Matt chanted, “Bird poop! Bird poop! Cody stepped in bird poop!”
“I did not!” Cody said. Just then Matt accidentally stepped in a big pile of bird droppings.
“Yuck! Gross!” he yelled, lifting his untied sneaker to examine the damage. One of the chaperones came over and helped him clean the bottom of the shoe by wiping it on the path.
Matt glared at Cody, as if it had been her fault. She ignored him as best she could, and tried to listen to Ranger Huynh spout off information and facts about the island as they walked up the hill. Cody caught bits and pieces that snagged her interest, mostly stuff about all the movies, TV shows, books, and games that had featured Alcatraz over the years. As they neared the cell house, she began to get a real sense of the loneliness the prisoners must have felt, locked up and isolated from society.
“Students,” Ms. Stad called out after her class had assembled in front of Cell Block B. She began passing out papers with a map on one side and a list of questions on the other. “While you’re here on the island, see if you can answer all the questions about Alcatraz listed on the back of your maps.”
Some of the students groaned, not expecting to have to do any real work while on the trip.
Ms. Stad continued. “I’ll collect your papers at the end of the trip, and if you get all the questions correct, you’ll win a prize—a coupon you can use at the gift shop.”
Groans turned to cheers as the students rallied to the challenge. Ms. Stad sometimes made learning fun when she turned it into a game—with prizes. Cody looked over the map and located the major landmarks—the main cell house, the lighthouse, the warden’s home, the water tower, and the guards’ cottages. She wondered what it would have been like to grow up living on the island, say, if her dad had been a prison guard back then. Scary, she thought. Ms. Stad had told the class that some of the prisoners had escaped—although none permanently. They’d either died trying or were recaught and returned to Alcatraz.
She flipped the paper over and scanned the questions on the back. They sounded pretty easy, especially since Ms. Stad had given the answers using alphanumeric code. She was very familiar with the code, where each number of the a
lphabet was replaced with its corresponding number—1 was A, 2 was B, and so on.
How big was the average prison cell?
Answer: 6-9-22-5 feet by 14-9-14-5 feet.
What did the cells contain?
Answer: 19-9-14-11, 3-15-20, and 20-15-9-12-5-20.
How many cells were there?
Answer: C-C-F and F 19-15-12-9-20-1-18-25.
Were prisoners allowed visitors?
Answer: 25-5-19, 15-14-5 16-5-18 13-15-14-20-8.
Why was the prison finally closed?
Answer: 20-15-15 5-24-16-5-14-19-9-22-5 and 18-21-14 4-15-23-14.
What was the “Rule of Silence”?
Answer: 16-18-9-19-15-14-5-18-19 3-15-21-12-4-14′20 20-1-12-11, so they used a 20-1-16-16-9-14-7 3-15-4-5.
How many prisoners escaped from Alcatraz?
Answer: C-F 20-18-9-5-4, but 14-15-14-5 23-5-18-5 19-21-3-3-5-19-19-6-21-12.
Are there secret passageways or escape tunnels on Alcatraz?
Answer: 25-5-19. They were 2-21-9-12-20 2-25 19-15-12-4-9-5-18-19.
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
Cody got out her pencil and began translating the coded answers. She wondered what she’d use her coupon for in the gift shop.
“All right, everyone!” Ranger Huynh said as the students gathered around her at the entrance to the cell house. “Are you ready to go to prison?”
A few kids laughed, a few made faces, and a few yelled, “Yeah!” Cody shook her head at the students trying to sound brave—mostly boys. Make them spend a few minutes in solitary confinement, she thought, and they wouldn’t be so quick to act tough.
The ranger led the way inside as the students, teachers, and chaperones followed. If Cody thought she was cold earlier, she now felt a different kind of chill as she hurried through the steel doors. It felt as if a ghost had passed through her.
“This is the main hallway,” the ranger said, “known as Broadway.” Cody gazed at the cell block—two stories high, with long rows of cells on either side of both levels. She noticed how small the cells were, with only a sink, a cot, and a toilet. How could anyone live this way for years and years?
Ranger Huynh continued her patter, often surprising Cody with tidbits of information—the size of the cells (at five feet by nine feet each, they were smaller than her bathroom), how many cells there were (336), and the average length of stay (eight years!). She jotted down notes and answered questions on the paper as she listened, but when one of the students asked if the prisoners ever received visitors (yes, once a month) or letters (yes, but they were screened), her attention drifted back to the message she and the Code Busters had received that morning.
She pulled out her notebook and reread what she had copied earlier on the bus ride over: “On the Rock B ware, When you get 2 cell block B, Look B tween 2 seats.”
According to the ranger, they were currently in Cell Block B—on the Rock—both mentioned in the message. But where were the “2 seats” referred to in the note? And what were they supposed to find “B tween” them?
Quinn and Luke sidled over to Cody and M.E.
“Looking for clues?” Quinn whispered.
Cody nodded. “We’re in Cell Block B, but I don’t see any seats. The cells just have cots, no chairs. Any ideas?”
Quinn wandered on ahead of the tour, peering into each cell as he passed by. Cody watched him until he reached the end of the long hallway. He signaled to her and the others to follow him.
Cody slowly wove her way through the crowd of students, hoping not to attract any attention, especially from Ms. Stad or her father, who was keeping a close eye on her. Is he worried I might get lost in the cavernous cell block? M.E. and Luke trailed behind her. When they reached Quinn, he pointed down a short hallway to the side that led to the dining area. Cody spotted two folding chairs that sat along the wall, no doubt meant for anyone who needed to rest during the tour.
Quinn glanced at the ranger, who was talking about the daily routine of the prisoners. Cody checked to make sure her dad and Ms. Stad weren’t watching them.
“Luke, stand guard,” Quinn said to Luke.
Quinn gestured for the others to follow, and the three of them tiptoed over to the two chairs.
Quinn bent down and examined them, including looking underneath.
“There’s nothing here,” he said, standing up. “They’re just chairs.”
“Guys!” Luke whispered from his post.
“Cody! M.E.!” a sharp voice called from behind him.
Too late. Ms. Stad stood with her arms crossed, a frown on her usually pleasant face. Behind her stood Cody’s father.
“Stay with the group,” Ms. Stadelhofer said. “You can explore on your own later.”
Cody nodded, and shot an apologetic glance at her father. “Sorry, Ms. Stad. We were just … excited about seeing everything.”
“Well, you’ll get a chance. Now go back with the others, or you won’t be able to complete your questionnaire. You, too, boys.”
The Code Busters shuffled back to the group, not so much upset about being caught but rather more disappointed that they hadn’t found anything special “between the seats.” Cody tried not to make eye contact with her dad.
She wondered if they’d missed something in their hurry to examine the chairs and thought about sneaking back when she heard the ranger say the word code. Her ears pricked up.
“It was called the ‘Rule of Silence,’ ” the ranger was saying, “and for many years the prisoners weren’t allowed to talk to each other, except during meals and recreation periods. So they used a primitive form of communication by tapping on the metal bars of their cells or on the pipes under their sinks or sometimes even on the walls.”
“What was the code they used?” Luke asked.
“Good question,” Ranger Huynh said. She passed out small squares of paper that featured a six-by-six grid of letters to the students. Across the top and down the side were the numbers from one to five. The alphabet letters had been written in each square of the grid, beginning with A and ending with Z.
“This is called a tap code,” the ranger said. “It’s one of several codes that prisoners used, such as writing with cell-made invisible ink, and even sudoku.”
TAP CODE
Quinn’s hand shot up before several other hands. “There’s no letter K,” he said.
“Good catch!” the ranger said. “You’re right. The prisoners kept the code very simple. They used the letter C to represent K. Each letter was communicated by tapping two numbers—the first one from the vertical column of numbers, and the second from the horizontal row of numbers. The letter X was used to break up sentences. So for example, if you wanted to communicate the letter Q you tapped four times, paused for a split second, then tapped once again.”
Before the kids could ask questions, the sound of metal hitting metal split the air. It was so loud that M.E. jumped and grabbed Cody’s arm. There were four more taps, just as loud.
“What was that?” several students asked, glancing around nervously.
The ranger grinned. “Shh! Listen …”
Two more taps broke the silence. Then a longer pause.
A tap, then a tap.
Four taps, then four more.
One tap, then five.
Four taps, then two.
Code Buster’s Solution found on this page.
“Water!” Quinn shouted. “Someone just tapped out the word water.”
“Very good!” Ranger Huynh said. “Now, if you look up there”—she pointed to the second floor—“you’ll see Geoff, one of our guards here on Alcatraz, holding a big wrench. He just tapped out the code for water.”
“That was cool!” Cody said. She looked up at the elderly uniformed man above her. He wore a gray, double-breasted jacket and slacks, black shoes, a hat with a badge in front, and a bright red tie.
“Why didn’t they just use Morse code?” Luke asked.
“Morse code
is a lot harder to send by tapping,” the ranger said, “because you have to create two different tap sounds—a dih and a dah sound. And it takes time to memorize the code. The tap code is easier to learn and simpler to decode.
“By the way, you kids didn’t invent the texting code you use with your cell phones. The prisoners used acronym shortcuts all the time. For example, they tapped out GN for ‘good night’ or TY for ‘thank you.’ ”
Quinn reached over to the wall next to him and tapped “1-3, 3-4, 3-4, 3-1.”
Code Buster’s Solution found on this page.
The ranger smiled at Quinn. “Great! You figured it out. You might want to join the park rangers someday and give this tour yourself.”
“Nah,” Quinn said. “I’m going to join the CIA.”
Sweet. Even the prisoners used codes,” Luke said. He and Quinn did a knuckle bump.
“There must be a million ways to create codes and secret languages,” Quinn added. “I’ll never learn them all! Right now, I’m trying to learn Egyptian hieroglyphs and the runic alphabet.”
“All right, everyone,” the ranger called on her bullhorn. “Please follow me into the dining hall. That’s where the prisoners ate their meals. It was affectionately called ‘the gas chamber,’ thanks to all the beans that were served.” The students giggled. “You’ll find a map of the cell house on the back of the tap code sheet.”
The students shuffled through the hallway where Quinn had discovered the two chairs that had turned out to be false clues. Cody saw him linger, giving the seats a last look, then he followed her and the rest of his classmates into the dining area. The large room was empty, except for some long benches that remained in the back. Cody imagined school-cafeteria-type tables with hungry prisoners sitting on the benches, hunching over their food trays. She wondered if they had the same type of cafeteria food their school had, like sloppy joes, fish sticks, and greasy pizza. She had a feeling it wasn’t much different.
