I promised to report on my recent trip to "the Rock". Now for many of you Trained Noticers, you will know that When Barney refers to the Mayberry Jail..as "the RocK" it is a reference to the Prison on Alcatraz Island, just a mile off shore from San Francisco.
I was lucky enough to take the tour on my recent trip to the San Francisco area. When you approack Alcatraz on the Ferry off of Pier 33, its evident why its called "The Rock". The Island potrudes prominently in the San Francisco Bay and consists mainly of Rock. It starts at sea level and rises rather steeply to the peak where the old prison sits. In its heydey Alcatraz housed some of the most famous and notorious criminals of the day. So Barney, being a student of Law Enforcement and Prison Management, wanted to imitate the best. As I took the tour I saw a few similarities between the real "Rock", and the Mayberry "Rock" --When the prisoners went to a meal, a row of cells were open and the prisoners marched in single file order to the mess hall much like Barney had the two prisoners march between cells. This may be common in all prisons. --the really funny part to me as I walked into the intial breifing area was this. The Park Ranger stated very clearly that there are "Two Rules" One rule was about not picking up any rocks or other artifacts on the grounds. Since Alcatraz is now a National Park it is a fedral offense to collect anything on the grounds. My mind is a little foggy on the second rule..but I think it was something simlar to "obey all Rules" The ranger said to observe all posted warning signs, placards, and roped off areas that are off limits. __The most harrowing sound in that Prison (for real) was when "the iron door clangs shut". The tour made a big point of allowing us to hear that and what a helpless feeling it was. (no mention of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches though) Here are a few more facts on The Rock There were 4 Cell blocks..three of which were used to house prisoners. Cell Block B and C had 336 cells which were considered general population. Unruly inmates were segregated in D Block where there were 42 isolation cells. Famous prisoners included Al Capone and Robert "The Birdman" Stround. 90 Corrections officers covered the 3 8-hour shifts. Staying at the rock was considerd particularly tough because when prisoners were aloowed in "the yard" they could see and hear the city of San Francisco just a mile away across the water. What is a matter of debate is whether anyone actually escaped (like in the movies). We all know that the Mayberry "Rock" did not have a perfect record of no escape..the real rock claims that thre was no Escape/ OK this is getting long, so I'll stop and let others add facts or make corrections. The Untrained Voice reporting from "the Rock" _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
