"The shaftless underground processing of oil shale-kukersite can be realized by various methods and using different systems. There is a two stage process according to A.B. Chernyshev, consisting in underground gasification of semicoke shale as the first stage and in leading these gases into new oil shale sections, whereby the remaining semicoke is gasified once more. R.N. Fitin and the author of this paper have suggested to combine the periods of blowing and burning in the section of the shale bed with periods without blowing during which the products of dry distillation are removed. It is important to determine the characteristics of the heating process of oil shale pieces for the above mentioned and other practical possibilities of carrying out shaftless underground processing of shale. Some observations made during tests carried out in a laboratory model are described in the present paper."