A method of working coal seams about 30 in (76.2 cm) thick, using a small continuous miner type of machine, which is remotely controlled from the roadway and without any associated supports. The machine is used to cut and extract sections of coal about 6 ft 2043 (1.8 m) wide for a distance of 100 yd (91 m) or so from pillars alongside the roadway. Small ribs of coal, 3 to 6 ft (approx. 1 to 2 m) wide, are left between the sections extracted by the machine. The accurate steering of the machine is a critical feature of this system of mining.