Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1866-03-24
NEWS or 1.-THE DAY.
40 shoe tAepery age and body Of the Times. "


day evening at Ocean Well, Petroleum Center
Pa. The flames spread rapidly to the Oil tanks
of the Ocean Oil Company, Of Philadelphia,
Five wells belonging to Breeder & Myers and
Breeder and Tennent lessees, were soon en-
veloped in one huge mass of fame, with no
earthly means Of checking the fearful tide. =
The fire ragged onward down the run, the flame
communicating with everything combustlble,
and sweeping every object before it. 1t soon
found channel which carried the burning mass
into Binnehof's run, catching in its way three
refneries some thirty or more buildings, and
several wells in the progress of drilling: In
less than fifteen minutes from the breaking out
of the fire the flame was nearly one mile in
length. The loss is estimated at $4,000.
Attorney General Speed has given an opinion
sustaining the original action of the Com
missioner of Pensions as to the right OF pen
sicners restored to the rolls of the Southern
agencies, on proof of continued loyalty through
out the war. All pensioners thus restored will
now receive their pensions from the date of
their last payment, on the former certificates,
without interruption. By direction of the
Secretary of the Interior, payment for the
period from the 10th of August, 1861, to the
date of completing proof Of loyalty, was sus
pended while awaiting the opinion of Attorney
General Speed, which has been adopted by the
Department
The Spanish frigates Villa de Madrid and
Blanco have been repulsed in an attack on the
CHILEAN fortifcations at the mouth of the river,
in which was the allied fleet. The fortitca-
tions we're strong, and guns had been mounted
from the Peruvian frigate Ama|gonas, which
was wrecked on the bar The Spaniards at
tempted to shell the place, and to reach at lorg
range the squadron inside. The fire was hand
somely returned by the fort, and the Banco
was considerably damaged. They returned to
Valparaiso.
The Superintendent Of the Government
Farms in st. Mary's co Nd, has written to the
Assistant Commissioner of Freedmeh's Affairs,
asking permission to send such of the freed
people as are able to work to Virginia. He
gives as the reason, that the freed people are
averse to hiring out to the farmers in St. Mary s
county.
On the return of Senator Howard, (wbo
went home to attend the funeral of his wife, J
that section of the Joint Committed on Recon
struction, of which he is chairman, will submit
the testimony taken concerning Virginia, North
Carolina, and South Carolina. This will in
clude the evidence Of Gen. Lee.
There are already at least five hundred APP
plicants for u S. Commissioner to the Paris
Exposition Of 1867, many Of them parties iu-
terested in machines and implements which
are to be on exposition, and not one in twenty
able to understand or to speak word of the
French language.
John Van Buren,, who has been down at
Charleston looking around, returned to New
York on Tuesday He says if there are any
Rebels left in that city, he could not see or
hear of them. Everybody was in favor of the
President and the Presidents policy. -.5
A great fire occurred at Cincinnati yesterday,
which destroyed property, it is said, to the
amount of s2,OO0,ooo. Pixies opera house
was burned and several other buildings, Offices,
stores, &c. Adams Express Office was burned.
At St. Johnsburg, Vermont, fire occurred
on "Wednesday last, which consumed the rail
road repair shops at that place, and inflicted a
loss of 100000. St
The decline in the price of coal at the auction
sale in New York on Thursday ranged from
81 IS TO 81 81 per ton.
The man arrested as Quantrel, has had an
examination, and the result has failed to fully
identify him,