Letters From Alcatraz - Michael Esslinger [18]
A military diagram created in September of 1855, illustrating the plans for the fortification and construction in progress. First Lieutenant Zealous Bates Tower supervised the building of the fort in 1854, and later reported that the terrain of Alcatraz was much rougher than he had expected.
An 1870 Eadweard Muybridge photograph of “Pirate’s Cove,” which is located on the western side of Alcatraz. This photograph illustrates the island’s primitive terrain, which discouraged boat landings. Much of the current geographical contours are the result of blasting and reshaping efforts by the early Army Engineers.
The task of converting the Rock into a sound fortress entailed a series of hardships for labor crews. On July 9, 1857, when three men were excavating the cliff between the wharf and the guardhouse, they unleashed a massive landslide. Two of the men, Daniel Pewter and Jacob Unger, were fatally trapped under the loose debris while the other worker escaped with serious injuries. They would become the first ever fatalities on Alcatraz. During the construction, it was found that the Rock mineral proved to be too frail to be used in the fortification and this necessitated the importation of stone from as far away as China. Granite that was ordinarily used as ballast on ships was also apparently employed in the construction. Masons used a high grade of brick, set in heavy concrete forms to create a dense shield of armor against enemy ammunitions. Construction crews also dug well-concealed tunnels that offered safe storage for cannon powder and other munitions. There were specialized furnaces designed to heat incendiary shells, which would be fatal toward fire-prone wooden ship hulls.
A communication tunnel that was excavated in 1873. The 180-foot tunnel was used as a passageway between two batteries by soldiers during the military era. The Bureau of Prisons sealed the tunnel in 1936 to alleviate the risk of inmates using this passage as an escape route.
A 19th-century woodcut engraving from William Cullen Bryant's 1872 publication Picturesque America, showing an early portrayal of Alcatraz as a military fortress.
Second Lieutenant James Birdseye McPherson took command of the fortification construction in January of 1858. In personal letters he implied regret for his post assignment, indicating that the conditions on Alcatraz were cold and miserable. Nevertheless, he proved to be an effective commander at the fort. He would later advance through the ranks, and was eventually killed during the Civil War in the Battle of Atlanta.
On December 31, 1857, 2nd Lt. James Birdseye McPherson was assigned to Alcatraz to continue supervision of the final construction activities. McPherson lived on the island full-time and in several letters he implied that he disliked his assignment. In one of these he wrote:
I often think of my position one year ago, and instinctively draw a comparison between it and my present one. Candor compels me to state that in everything appertaining to the social amenities of life the “Pea Patch” [Fort Delaware] is preferable to Alcatraz — though I am determined to make the best of the matter, looking forward joyfully to the time when I can return to the Atlantic States.
Regardless of his personal bias, McPherson was a dedicated commander and effective taskmaster. He kept his men focused on their orders, and accomplished his objectives at Fort Alcatraz. During an inspection report filed in January of 1859, J.K.F. Mansfield wrote the following:
I this afternoon inspected the fortifications on Alcatrazes Island in this harbor, and have to report the result to the general chief as follows:
This work has been under the superintendence of 2nd Lieut. James B. McPherson of the Corps of Engineers since the 1st of January 1858 when he relieved Brevet Major Z.B. Tower of the Corps of Engineers who commenced this work. This work from the beginning has been extremely well