55 Years Later, Alcatraz Escapee sends this note.

The Noise

You could be asking how they got away with producing all that much noise. Laws introduced in the 1960s on prison rehabilitation gave inmates daily access to enjoy music hours in their rooms. Every night Frank Lee Morris would play his accordion loudly to focus any noise the chipping produced. They exploited them to their benefit.

He would play louder and louder every night as his squad descended deeper into the ground. Though all the other prisoners must have found irritating, this was most likely the last thing they thought about. On the other side of the wall was an unguarded corridor with pipes running up and down its length.