While the Bedouins were getting their first experience of a more settled way of life, the steady stream of materials from far-away America rolled always past their camp sites. Supplying the materials was the greatest peacetime problem in logistics ever. The needs were so immense and so varied that they came from approximately 5,000 different firms, many of which never realized that the orders they were filling were destined for the world's mightiest oil pipe line.

Shipment was planned and carried out so that each article arrived at the work site shortly before it was needed, to prevent mountainous stock piles at the terminals. Next to the pipe itself, perhaps the greatest single item was automotive equipment. The desert fleet of cars and trucks consisted of more than 1,500 units.

These included 150 of the giant 50-ton trucktractors for hauling the pipe itself, 120 ten-ton trucks, 500 trailers, 80 refrigerator trucks and trailers for transporting perishable foods, 60 fuel and water trucks, 12 lunch-serving trailers, 40 buses of 60-passenger capacity, 10 sixtypassenger trailers, and some 400 other vehicles including passenger cars, station wagons, jeeps and a variety of other types.

And even all this was in addition to earth-handling machines, bulldozers, Caterpillars, ditchers, graders and so on almost without end.

Conditions were difficult for all these vehicles - sand and rock and terrific heat. To meet such conditions the big trucks were equipped with double radiators having twice the capacity of the largest used elsewhere. Each truck carried 100 gallons of gasoline, the tanks being six-foot lengths of the 30-inch pipe.

S. D. Bechtel, left, and A. N. Horne inspect a pump station.