Chief trouble at first was with the tires. Pipe-carrying trucks and trailers were equipped with eight, ten or 12-ply tires 14 x 20 and in sandy areas they were inflated only from 15 to 20 pounds. These tires were so big that when punctured they could only be lifted on and off by the winch and carried in the lead truck of each convoy. And at first punctures were a major problem. Investigation showed that most of the trouble came from small pieces of welding rods and other scraps of metal strewn along the highway as the great pipe was pushed across the desert as fast as a mile or more a day. Once that was determined the highway was patrolled by a magnet truck which picked up all loose metal, and tire trouble dropped to a minimum.

The great automotive fleet constantly moving over the pipe line highway was augmented by airplanes chartered from Aramco. They operated between the two terminals and the six major pumping stations as they were being constructed.

Even the airplanes didn't furnish fast enough communication along the line, so a contract was made with Radio Corporation of America to furnish equipment linking all sections. When the main pump stations are completed each one will be at the center of a small town, a fenced area of about 125 acres, an outstanding feature of which will be tall radio towers. These will serve for carrying on the business of maintenance and operation, and also will link the Americans and Arabs living on each station with the outer world.

Addition of six lesser pump stations or looping the line can eventually bring, Tapline's daily oil delivery to the Mediterranean to 500,000 barrels.

When the two great pipe lines, one creeping eastward from Sidon in Lebanon and the longer pushing westward from Qaisuimah, were

Arab workers opening valve at Badanah

Completed end of IBI Section