July 28, 1962 - At least 22 persons were killed and 120 injured in the derailment of a Pennsylvania Railroad excursion train late this afternoon. Five cars of the nine-car train were derailed. Three of them rolled down a 25-foot embankment into the Susquehanna River. The train was carrying baseball fans to a game in Philadelphia between the Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The train originated at Harrisburg. Five of the twenty-two dead were persons trapped in one of the two cars that overturned in the river in three to four feet of water. Early rescue attempts were hampered badly by a grass fire that was touched off when overhead power lines were pulled down by the crashing cars. Skin divers and rescue workers with acetylene torches were trying to free the trapped passengers within 15 minutes after the accident. Several priests went to the scene to administer last rites. The cause of the wreck was unknown, but the State Public Utility Commission announced it was beginning an immediate investigation.
