Tide Is High, Moving On

Chris Carlsson

Alcatraz, now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area but once a federal penitentiary, was nicknamed The Rock. (Its name actually comes from La Isla de los Alcatraces, or The Island of the Pelicans, the name given to the island by Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala.) It was also called inescapable, due in large part to its location in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, but that doesn't mean there weren't attempts. One of the more ingenious involved three prisoners who made a raft of raincoats, not unlike that used by Papillon in the film of the same name. It was generally believed that the escapees could not have survived, but a new scientific study indicates that, if the currents were just right, it is possible that they could have made it to the mainland (story, videos): http://www.livescience.com/49134-alcatraz-escaped-prisoners-could-have-survived.html
   The audio tour of Alcatraz is fantastic, btw. If you want to learn more about the island's history and the prison's more famous, or infamous, inmates but can't take the tour, check out this site (story, videos): http://www.history.com/topics/alcatraz