Alcatraz_ A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years - Michael Esslinger [176]
The steam tables were manned by Hubbard and fellow inmates Floyd Harrell, Lavelle Bush, and Harold Brest. Brest had participated in a failed escape at Alcatraz in April of 1943, in which his accomplice James Boarman had been killed by a bullet to the head. In May of 1946, Brest had been out of segregation and on work assignment for less than one month and probably had no interest in getting involved in another escape, with the memory of Boarman's violent death still fresh in his mind.
As the inmates were assembling for breakfast on the morning of May 2nd, the next shift of correctional officers started to come on duty, relieving those coming off the graveyard shift. Officer Bert Burch made his way up the narrow stairway running up the side of the cellhouse, to begin his shift in the West Gun Gallery.
Cliff Fish was the day watch officer assigned to the Armory in May of 1946. As the officers reported to their assigned locations, they would individually call in to Fish so that he could record the post changes in the official activity register. As part of standard procedure, the officers were required to call in to the armory every thirty minutes to report on their welfare. The status of each inmate was likewise recorded every thirty minutes. As the inmates congregated in the Mess Hall for breakfast, the correctional staff reported and prepared their posts for the transfer of inmates to the work industries.
Armory Officer Clifford Fish
Following breakfast the inmates were marched back to their cells, and those with work assignments were allowed time to smoke and get ready for work. After all of the inmates had been locked back in their cells, Joe Simpson sounded the bell signaling inmates to stand in silence at their cell door until the count activities were concluded. Ernest Lageson, who was the officer in charge of the cellhouse, sat at the desk situated just outside of the Mess Hall at the west end of the cellblock. He compiled the numbers from the six officers performing the counts, and phoned the final tallies to Fish in the Armory.
After the counts were complete, the inmates who were assigned to work details usually changed into their work clothing, and ensured that their cells were clean in case of a surprise inspection. Being assigned to a work detail was a great privilege, and inmates rarely disobeyed rules regarding cleanliness and hygiene. After the count bell sounded indicating that no discrepancies had been found, the officers in charge of the industry work details gathered near the recreation yard, preparing to release the inmates from their cells to start work.
Joe Simpson would then give the signal to release those on work details from their cells. The cells were unlocked, just as at meal periods, with all of the cells on each tier racking open to allow the men to step outside of their cells. They would then await the okay signal to march down into the recreation yard and line up for their work assignment. Bert Burch in the West Gun Gallery lowered key #107 to Officer William Miller, who opened the heavy steel access door to the recreation yard and then started signaling the inmates to file down into the line-up. As the convicts passed through the cellhouse door, Miller counted each one. The inmates then walked into the yard area, lining up on a painted stripe in accordance with their specific assignment. Once again they would participate in yet another count, for purposes of identification,