55 Years Later, Alcatraz Escapee sends this note.

Here Comes the Good News!

It was lucky for Alcatraz that it was already regarded as an old establishment and was disintegrating by the time the 1960s arrived. As prisoners used showers and cleaned dishes, saltwater would flow down the pipes, gradually corroding them more and more over time. It similarly broke through the barriers and rendered the walls more flexible.

The good news is that they knew this and used it to decide where and when they should nibble away to simplify their own situation. As time passed, they were able to more readily consume the weakest parts of the construction, which led to increasing degradation of the structure. Modern day jails are not at all administered in this manner.