"Sandia National Laboratories is developing a drilling system which uses high pressure water jets to drill horizontal holes in a coal seam accessed through a vertical borehole for underground coal gasification, these horizontal holes to create linking paths between vertical process wells. Currently, the full-scale cornering drill system is undergoing above-ground evaluation tests in Albuquerque. An elevated test platform is being used to permit observation of the cornering and drilling mechanisms during operation. A simulated coal block serves as a convenient drilling target during these tests. Recorded hole location data have been compared with independently determined measurements. Test results, to date, indicate satisfactory performance of the major drill components."