salt tablets, just to keep going. There were thousands of such men and water trucking became a major problem demanding some early solution.

So Tapline began drilling wells. It started right at the eastern terminal, the manufactured seaport of Ras el Mishaab, which was 40 miles from the nearest potable water, and that wasn't too potable. The wells driven there failed and engineers turned for a time to attempts at distilling fresh water from the sea but that did not prove adequate. In fact the water problem at Ras el Mishaab has not, yet been solved satisfactorily.

But far greater success was achieved out along the line as it traversed sand and flint and salt marshes of the slanted, wind-torn desert.

Of 52 wells drilled, 40 brought in water. By that time six main oil pumping stations had been set up at regular intervals along the pipe route, and the main water storage tanks were constructed by these stations. The others were scattered along the line so that nowhere was there a long haul for crews in the field.

It took two years to drill all those 40 wells, but the unexpected problem they created manifested itself when the first brackish water was pumped up to the surface. Apparently every Bedouin in Arabia heard about it immediately.