Gold Rush

Narrator: UP NORTH IN THE GOLD FIELDS OF THE KLONDIKE...

IT'S TIME TO FINISH THIS.

Narrator: ...JUST AS WINTER BEGINS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR,

THE HOFFMANS CHASE THEIR BEST PAY STREAK OF THE SEASON.

YES!

GREAT DAY TO BE A MINER.

Narrator: BUT WHEN JACK DROPS A BOULDER INTO MONSTER RED...

THAT'S A BUNCH OF

IT DIDN'T GO THROUGH THE GRIZZLY BARS.

THEY'RE SAYING THAT I DUMPED IT OVER THE SIDE.

THAT'S B.S. YOU CAN SEE IT DIDN'T.

Narrator: ...THEIR OPERATION SUDDENLY GRINDS TO A HALT.

Pasley: HIT THE BYPASS!

TAILINGS CONVEYOR'S LOCKED UP!

Narrator: AT EUREKA CREEK, THINGS GO SOUTH...

...WHEN TONY LEAVES HIS CREW

IN CHARGE OF A CRITICAL PIECE OF THE DREDGE.

Krisher: WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!

NO!

Narrator: AND OVER AT SCRIBNER CREEK,

PARKER'S ONGOING QUEST FOR THAWED GROUND...

WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

Narrator: ...TAKES A DRASTIC STEP...

Ness: IT'S GONNA BE KIND OF LIKE A TREASURE HUNT.

Narrator: ...WHEN GENE CHEESEMAN DIVERTS A RIVER...

Cheeseman: WELL, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT.

Ness: OH, YEAH, THAT'S QUITE A BIT OF WATER.

Narrator: ...TO GET DOWN TO BIG, CHUNKY GOLD...

THAT'S A NICE PAN.

...LEADING TO ONE OF PARKER'S BEST CLEANUPS EVER.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

McKINNON CREEK, THE KLONDIKE.

THERE ARE JUST THREE WEEKS LEFT IN THE MINING SEASON.

AND THE HOFFMAN CREW IS DETERMINED TO MAKE THEM COUNT.

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL MORNING IN THE KLONDIKE.

WE GOT ONE LAST PUSH, SO WE'RE GONNA PUSH THE CREW

AND THE MACHINERY AS HARD AS THEY CAN GO.

WE HAVE A GOAL, AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT

IF THE ICE HOLDS OFF LONG ENOUGH.

IT'S TIME TO FINISH THIS. THIS IS THE LAST PUSH, SO...

ALL WE'RE DOING NOW IS GETTING GOLD.

NO STRIPPING.

ALL WE GOT TO DO IS HAUL THE PAY TO THE PLANT

AND RUN IT AND GET GOLD.

Narrator: THEIR GOLD TOTAL STANDS AT 780 OUNCES...

WORTH $936,000.

TO HIT THEIR 1,000-OUNCE, $1.2 MILLION SEASON GOLD,

THEY NEED TO KEEP MONSTER RED RUNNING 300 YARDS AN HOUR

FOR AS MANY DAYS AS POSSIBLE.

DO YOU THINK WE CAN DO IT?

I THINK SO, AS LONG AS WE GOT STUFF TO RUN

AND EVERYTHING KEEPS RUNNING.

YEAH, I'M UP FOR IT.

LET'S DO IT.

Narrator: JUST NORTH OF THE HAUL ROAD,

TODD DIGS PAY DIRT FROM THEIR NEW CUT.

THE GROUND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD

YIELDED AN IMPRESSIVE 132 OUNCES WORTH OVER $150,000.

Todd: THIS STUFF HERE,

I'M STARTING TO HIT SOME BIGGER ROCKS, WHICH IS GOOD.

STARTING TO GET REAL, REAL GOOD IN HERE, IT LOOKS LIKE, TO ME.

HEY, ANDY.

Narrator: TODD SPOTTED GROUND

THAT COULD LEAD TO AN EVEN BIGGER PAY DIG.

LOOK AT THAT WEIRD-COLORED BROWN STUFF.

YEAH.

IS THAT BEDROCK DECOMPOSED?

YEAH.

YOU CAN SEE A BANK OF A RIVER RIGHT HERE.

THAT'S WHAT WE WANT.

LOOK AT THE COLOR OF THAT. SEE THAT?

ANYTIME WE FIND, LIKE, ROCKS LIKE THAT

THAT ARE SETTLED RIGHT NEXT TO BEDROCK,

IT'S JUST THE BOTTOM WHERE ALL THE HEAVY GOLD

JUST SEEMS TO CONCENTRATE, SO...

THIS WAS ON THE EDGE OF SOMETHING.

THERE'S QUARTZ RIGHT THERE.

ONCE YOU START GETTING INTO THOSE BIGGER BOULDERS,

YOU START SEEING BETTER GOLD.

MEANS YOU'RE IN A DEEPER RIVER CHANNEL --

A CHANNEL THAT CAN MOVE THOSE BIGGER ROCKS IN.

Narrator: QUARTZ AND BIG BOULDERS ARE SIGNS OF BIG GOLD.

TODD'S FIND COULD BE THE BREAKTHROUGH

THEY DESPERATELY NEED.

FROM ALL INDICATIONS, THIS LOOKS PRETTY GOOD.

THAT HAUL ROAD CUT, THAT CHANNEL THAT WE FOUND IN THERE

COULD COME RIGHT THROUGH HERE. I DON'T KNOW.

Narrator: WITH WINTER AROUND THE CORNER, THE CREW RACES

TO GET THE NEW RIVERBED PAY DIRT THROUGH THE WASH PLANT.

WE GOT THE GROUND THAT HAS THE GOLD, SO THE MORALE IS HIGH,

SO GREAT DAY TO BE A MINER.

Pasley: GUYS, GUYS! HIT THE BYPASS!

HIT THE BYPASS! HIT THE BYPASS!

TAILINGS CONVEYOR'S LOCKED UP!

Todd: SHUT IT DOWN.

Narrator: 10 MILES UPRIVER,

PARKER SCHNABEL'S SCRIBNER CREEK CLAIM IS AT A STANDSTILL.

HE'S OUT OF PAY DIRT AND HASN'T RUN HIS WASH PLANT FOR 24 HOURS.

SO, WE'RE LOSING ANOTHER DAY OF PRODUCTION.

WE GOT TO GET THIS PLANT RUNNING.

Narrator: FOR THE LAST 3 WEEKS, THE 20-YEAR-OLD MINE BOSS

HAS BEEN ON THE HUNT FOR THAWED GROUND,

BUT HE'S STRUCK OUT EVERY TIME.

SEE, 'CAUSE I JUST WENT DOWN THROUGH THREE FEET OF GRAVEL,

AND IT'S FROZEN UNDER THAT.

SO THAT MEANS THAT OUR PAY IS STILL FROZE.

WE'RE HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME FINDING THAWED GROUND, YOU KNOW?

THAT'S GIVING US A PRETTY BIG PROBLEM.

Narrator: PARKER HAS 1,508 OUNCES, WORTH $1.8 MILLION.

BUT UNLESS HE CAN FIND THAWED PAY DIRT

THIS LATE IN THE SEASON,

HE CAN KISS HIS 2,000-OUNCE DREAM GOODBYE.

Parker: IT'S BEEN PRETTY STRESSFUL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

WHERE THE REST OF THE GOLD'S GONNA COME FROM.

WE CAME UP HERE WITH A PRETTY BIG GOAL,

AND THIS COULD REALLY THROW A COG IN A LOT OF THAT.

DID YOU HEAR THAT?

IT'S SQUEAKING AWFULLY BAD.

THAT'S NOT GOOD.

CAN'T ONE STUPID THING GO RIGHT.

Narrator: THE D10 TRACKS ARE DANGEROUSLY LOOSE.

PARKER NEEDS TO GET THE 85-TON MACHINE OUT OF THE CUT

BEFORE THE TRACKS GIVE OUT COMPLETELY.

ABOUT MY ONLY OPTION RIGHT NOW

IS TO GO BACK TO THE YARD.

HEY, GENE.

THIS THING'S SQUEAKING REALLY BAD.

I MEAN, THE TRACKS ARE LOOSER THAN HELL,

BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WOULD DO IT.

WELL, THEY'RE STRETCHED OUT.

I MEAN, THESE ARE OILED PINS, YOU KNOW.

IF YOU LOOK AT THEM -- THESE PINS?

YEAH. I MEAN, THEY'RE -- YOU SEE RIGHT HERE,

IT'S WORE CLEAR THROUGH.

HOLY THAT IS WORE OUT.

I KNOW IT'S NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR.

JUST IT'S TIME FOR IT TO GET SOME ATTENTION.

RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT, WELL...

WE'LL HAVE TO FIX IT.

Narrator: PARKER'S SEASON HAS GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE.

HE'S GOT NO THAWED GROUND,

AND NOW HIS $160,000 DOZER IS OUT OF ACTION.

WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE,

BECAUSE THERE REALLY AREN'T THAT MANY NOW.

THIS TIME OF YEAR, IT'S...HARD TO ADJUST TO THINGS LIKE THIS.

NEED TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT

TO GET SOME QUICK, EASY THAWED PAY UP TO THE PLANT.

WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

Narrator: GENE HEADS OUT ON A SOLO MISSION TO FIND NEW GROUND.

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT -- WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.

JUST TRYING TO MAKE A PLAN.

DOING A LITTLE EXPLORING AROUND,

TRYING TO FIND SOME GROUND WE CAN OPEN UP HERE

THAT'S NOT FROZE.

Narrator: THERE'S ONE PLACE ON THE CLAIM

GENE THINKS THERE'S THAWED GROUND,

BUT IT'S NOT DIRT THEY'LL HAVE TO MOVE.

IT'S A RIVER.

FROM THE LOOKS OF THE CRICK, IT'S, YOU KNOW, LOOKS LIKE

IT SHOULD BE THAWED 'CAUSE THE RIVER'S THERE.

BUT TILL YOU REALLY START EXPLORING SOME MORE,

YOU DON'T KNOW FOR SURE.

Narrator: THE GROUND UNDER SULFUR CREEK SHOULD BE THAWED.

IF GENE'S RIGHT, HE COULD SAVE PARKER'S SEASON,

BUT FIRST, HE HAS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DIVERT A RIVER.

Narrator: AT EUREKA CREEK, KLONDIKE LEGEND TONY BEETS

HAS WORKED ALL SEASON TO MINE LIKE THE OLD-TIMERS.

HE'S VOWED TO HAVE HIS 75-YEAR-OLD DREDGE CATCHING GOLD

BEFORE WINTER SHUTS DOWN THE YUKON.

THE TAILINGS CONVEYOR, OR STACKER, IS 85 FEET LONG

AND WEIGHS IN AT 7 TONS.

ONCE OPERATIONAL, THE STACKER FITS ON THE BACK OF THE DREDGE.

IT WILL TAKE WORTHLESS TAILINGS OUT OF THE TROMMEL

AND MOVE THEM OUT OF THE BACK OF THE DREDGE.

WELL, THE STACKER HAS A COUPLE OF PINS THERE ON THE BOTTOM,

AND THEY GO IN THESE CRADLES HERE.

AND IT HANGS OFF A CABLE OFF THE OTHER END.

Narrator: BUT TONY IS RACING THE YUKON WINTER.

HE NEEDS TO KICK HIS OPERATION INTO HIGH GEAR.

FIRST THEY RIG THE STACKER TO A PAIR OF CRANES.

Man: IT'S GOING GOOD.

ONE END HOOKED UP, ONE TO GO.

PIECE OF CAKE. AWESOME.

WHERE YOU GOING?

Narrator: TO HOOK THE STACKER ONTO THE DREDGE,

THE CREW MUST WORK TOGETHER TO CAREFULLY LINE UP

TWO NINE-INCH PIVOT PINS

WITH A SET OF CRADLES ON THE BODY OF THE DREDGE.

JOE DIRECTS THE TWO CRANES USING HAND SIGNALS.

MIKE HAS EYES ON THE DOCKING POINT.

AS THE STACKER MOVES FORWARD, IT GETS BETWEEN JOE AND MIKE,

SO MIKE SWITCHES TO USING HIS RADIO.

WE WANT A LITTLE BIT OF DOWN.

NOW SUCK IT IN.

BUT JOE DOESN'T HAVE A RADIO.

JUST A LITTLE BIT.

PULL UP JUST A LITTLE BIT.

HE'S NOW DIRECTING BLIND.

HOLD UP. GOT TO GO UP A LITTLE BIT.