The 1945 tunnel escape that captivated the public and embarrassed prison guards
In short: In 1945, twelve men orchestrated a subterranean engineering feat to escape Eastern State Penitentiary. Using nothing but spoons and flattened cans, they dug a tunnel that bypassed walls and connected to the sewer system. While the operation was a masterpiece of subversion, the actual freedom it provided was shockingly brief.
The escape from Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) on April 3, 1945, remains one of the most famous prison breaks in history. The operation was led by Clarence "Kliney" Klinedinst, a skilled mason and forger who could reportedly secure anything for a fee. Working in pairs for 30-minute intervals, the team used makeshift implements such as cans and spoons to dig a 31-inch hole through the cell 68 wall. From there, they dug twelve feet straight down and 100 feet out beyond the prison walls.
This was no crude hole; it was a sophisticated piece of subversive engineering. The tunnel featured scaffolding, lighting, and ventilation. To manage waste, the crew created a connection to the prison's brick sewer system, allowing them to deposit refuse while keeping noxious fumes out of their workspace. They even used a false panel, disguised to match the cell's plaster, to hide the entrance from guards.
Despite the months of painstaking labor, the reward was minimal. On the morning of the escape, the group headed toward cell 68 on their way to breakfast. The results were mixed: half the escapees were caught the same day, and the rest were captured within two months. The most famous participant, Willie Sutton, was caught mere minutes after his freedom began. After being caught, some prisoners were sent to the "Klondikes"—secret, illegal, dark, solitary confinement cells built by guards in the mechanical space below the cell blocks.
Sutton, a notorious bank robber known as "Slick Willie," was one of the two men returned to the prison almost immediately. Although Sutton later claimed in his 1953 autobiography, *Where the Money Was*, that he was the mastermind, historians suggest the technical execution belonged to Klinedinst. Sutton eventually escaped from Holmesburg Prison and evaded authorities for six years before being recognized on a Brooklyn subway.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Daring Escape From the Eastern State Penitentiary
- Also: Willie Sutton
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