Letters From Alcatraz - Michael Esslinger [43]
07:20 AM: Upon signal from deputy warden, the first detail in each line arises and proceeds through the rear entrance door of the cellhouse to the recreation yard. Inside detail, are those not assigned any detail; proceed to their work or cells.
07:25 AM: Guards and their details move out in the following order through the rear gates:
1. Laundry
2. Tailor shop
3. Cobblers
4. Model shop
5. All other shops
6. Gardening and labor details
The guards go ahead through the rear gates and stand opposite the rear gate. There they count prisoners passing through the gate in single file and clear the count with the rear-gate guard. The detail stops at the foot of the steps on the lower level road and forms into two ranks. The guard faces them to the right and proceeds to the shops keeping himself in the rear of his detail. Upon arrival in the front of the shops, the detail halts and faces the shop entrance.
07:30 AM: Shop foreman counts his detail as the line enters the shop and immediately phones his count to the lieutenant of the watch. He also signs the count slip and turns it over to the lieutenant making his first round.
07:35 AM: Rear gate guard makes up detailed count slip, phones it to the lieutenant of the watch, signs it, and proceeds with it to the lieutenant’s office.
09:30 AM: Rest period, during which the men are allowed to smoke in places permitted, but are not allowed to congregate.
09:40 AM: Foreman or the guard gives whistle signal; all of the men on each floor of the shops assemble at a given point and are counted, and return immediately to work. This assembly and count is quickly done, the count is written on a slip of paper, signed by the foreman or guard, and then turned over to the lieutenant making his next round.
11:30 AM: Prisoners stop work and assemble in front of the shops. The foreman or the guard takes the count. The foreman phones in the count and signs the count slip, turning it over to the guard, who proceeds with the detail to the rear gate and checks his detail in with the rear-gate guard.
11:35 AM: In the recreation yard the mess hall line is immediately formed in the same order as in the morning. The details proceed in the same lines to the mess hall.
11:40 AM: Dinner routine is the same as for breakfast, except at the completion of dinner, when the details immediately proceed to the cells.
12:00 PM: Noon lockup cell count; the detail guards remain in front of cells until the prisoners are locked up and the count made.
12:20 PM: Unlock and proceed the same as before going to breakfast, except that the prisoners march in single file into the yard #3 cellblock first. Shop details again form in front of their guards.
12:25 PM: Details are checked out of the rear gate the same as in the morning.
12:30 PM: Details enter the shops and are counted by the foreman and the guard. Procedures are the same as at 07:30 hours.
2:30 PM: Rest period: the procedure and count are the same as in the morning.
4:15 PM: Work stopped with standard count procedure.
4:20 PM: Prisoners enter the rear gate, with count.
4:25 PM: Prisoners march into the mess hall, with count.
4:45 PM: Prisoners return to their cells.
4:50 PM: Final lockup.
5:00 PM: Standing count in the cells by both shifts of the lieutenants and the cell housemen.
8:00 PM: Count in the cells.
9:30 PM: Lights out count.
12:01 AM: Count by the lieutenants and the cell housemen of both shifts.
03:00 AM: Count in the cells.
05:00 AM: Count in the cells.
A total of thirteen official counts were made in a hour 24-hour period, with several other unscheduled and unofficial counts. In addition, the shop foremen made six verification