Gold Rush

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"...

Parker: I'M GETTING PRETTY DAMN CLOSE

TO PULLING THE PLUG DOWN THERE ACTUALLY.

I'M JUST TRYING TO KEEP MY OPERATION ALIVE.

MOST PLACES, YOU WOULDN'T KEEP YOUR JOB

WITHHOLDING THAT KIND OF INFORMATION.

Ness: ALL RIGHT. YOU WANT ME TO PACK MY THEN?

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I GOT TOO MANY SKILLS,

AND THERE'S NOT ENOUGH OF ME TO GO AROUND.

TWO OUNCES.

GIVE ME A BREAK.

IT'S THE LAST BUCKET. WE'RE SHUTTING IT DOWN.

YOU HAVE TO PROSPECT.

IF YOU CAN FIND ME A GOOD GOLD PAN,

WE'LL FIRE THIS BABY BACK UP.

I LIKE IT.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

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THE SLUICIFER IS DOING PRETTY DARN WELL.

YOU KNOW, IT'S PRODUCING A LOT OF GOLD,

BUT RICK AND BIG RED AREN'T,

AND, YOU KNOW, AT A CERTAIN POINT,

YOU GOT TO ASK YOURSELF IF IT'S WORTH RUNNING TWO OPERATIONS

BECAUSE HE'S JUST NOT PAYING HIS BILLS DOWN THERE.

Narrator: TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY THROUGH HIS MINING SEASON,

PARKER SCHNABEL HAS MINED OVER 4,200 OUNCES OF GOLD,

WORTH MORE THAN $5 MILLION.

BUT LAST WEEK, RICK'S GOLD PRODUCTION AT BIG RED

TOOK AN UNEXPLAINED DIVE, PRODUCING LESS THAN 100 OUNCES.

THE CLEANUP IS DROPPING OFF, YOU KNOW?

THE GOLD WENT FROM REALLY GOOD TO REALLY BAD,

AND THAT'S, BASICALLY,

OUR BIGGEST STRUGGLE RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW?

EVERYTHING IS WORKING.

BIG RED IS RUNNING. WE'RE PUTTING IN THE HOURS.

IT'S JUST THE GOLD IS NOT THERE.

Narrator: AS THE INDIAN RIVER BOSS, IT'S DOWN TO RICK

TO DELIVER HALF OF THEIR 5,000-OUNCE GOLD.

HOWDY.

I DON'T KNOW.

Narrator: IT'S SO SERIOUS, CLEANUP SPECIALIST

CHRIS DOUMITT CALLS AN EMERGENCY MEETING

TO RESPOND TO THE MORNING'S TOTAL.

-HEY, RICK. -HELLO.

I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW IT'S GOING.

HOW MUCH IS THERE TO JIG PER TABLE?

Doumitt: PROBABLY A COUPLE OUNCES IN THERE.

WHAT? IS THAT IT?

BECAUSE THAT'S NO WAY TO MAKE ANY MONEY.

WE NEED 100-PLUS OUNCES A WEEK.

YEAH.

WHAT THE

LIKE, WE AIN'T EVEN PAYING FOR SLUICING, THOUGH.

AT A 1/2 OUNCE AN HOUR, WE AIN'T PAYING FOR THE SLUICING.

LOOK, MAN. I GET IT. I...

THIS IS NOT THE PLAN HERE, BUT...

BECAUSE I'M GETTING PRETTY DAMN CLOSE

TO PULLING THE PLUG DOWN THERE, ACTUALLY.

GIVE ME A COUPLE DAYS TO GET DOWN THERE

AND FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE GROUND,

AND I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO.

IT WAS A LITTLE SHOCKING, BUT I GET IT.

YOU KNOW, IF IT'S NOT PAYING THE BILLS,

IT'S NOT PAYING THE BILLS, SO...

Narrator: IF RICK DOESN'T GET BACK ON THE GOLD,

PARKER WILL SHUT HIS OPERATION DOWN.

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Ness: BRENNAN, YOU GOT A COPY?

Ruault: YEAH, MAN. GO AHEAD.

YEAH, YOU WANT TO COME DOWN TO THE CUT AND TAKE A LOOK

AT THIS BEDROCK WITH ME?

YEAH. I'LL BE RIGHT OVER.

WHAT'S GOING ON, RICK?

Narrator: BRENNAN RUAULT

IS RICK'S MOST EXPERIENCED OPERATOR.

I KEEP LOOKING AT THIS SPOT.

I'VE BEEN DIGGING HERE FOR DAYS,

AND I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.

THE ONE THING I DO KNOW IS THAT THE GOLD WENT TO

, AND THE ONLY EXPLANATION

I CAN THINK OF IS THIS RISE IN BEDROCK.

I MEAN, STANDING FROM HERE LOOKING AT IT,

THIS IS JUST, LIKE, A GIANT RIDGE THROUGH HERE.

LIKE, IT JUST DROPS RIGHT OFF.

I CAN SEE THAT.

COMMON SENSE TELLS ME THAT A GIANT RIDGE

LIKE THIS HAS GOT TO DO SOMETHING.

WHENEVER THE GOLD CAME THROUGH HERE,

HOW COULD THIS NOT DISRUPT IT?

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

Narrator: RICK FOUND LITTLE GOLD IN THE SHALLOW GROUND

ABOVE THE BEDROCK RIDGE.

THE ANCIENT RIVER THAT DEPOSITED THE GOLD KEPT TO THE DEEP GROUND

ON EITHER SIDE OF THE RIDGE.

SO AS DIRT BUILT UP OVER TIME, VERY LITTLE GOLD

ENDED UP ABOVE THE RIDGE.

RICK BELIEVES THE RICHEST PAY IS ON THE OTHER SIDE

WHERE THE RIVER NOW RUNS.

OKAY, WELL, WE'VE BEEN HAULING 90% OFF THE VALLEY SIDE,

SO IF IT'S ...

YEAH, THE HIGH SIDE OF IT, SO...

IF 90% OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN RUNNING

HAS COME FROM THIS HIGH SIDE,

LET'S JUMP DOWN OFF THE OTHER SIDE,

I GUESS, AND SEE WHAT WE GOT DOWN THERE.

YEAH.

IT ALREADY LOOKS A BIT DIFFERENT, DOESN'T IT?

YOU CAN TELL IT LOOKS LIKE BETTER MATERIAL, I MEAN.

I SURE HOPE SO, MAN.

I DON'T WANT TO GET SHUT DOWN DOWN HERE.

Ness: YEAH.

WELL, I'M

Ruault: HOLY

THIS RIVER.

LOOK AT ALL THAT.

OH, MAN. THAT'S NICE GOLD.

I THINK WE GOT OUR ANSWER UP HERE, RIGHT?

I MEAN, WE PANNED UP THERE.

THERE'S NOTHING.

ON THIS SIDE OF THE BEDROCK RIDGE,

THERE'S A LOAD OF GOLD.

SO IN MY MIND, THAT SIDE.

WE FOCUS ON THE RIVER SIDE, AND WE'RE MARCHING THAT WAY.

YOU THINK PARKER IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE PISSY

ABOUT STRIPPING ALL THAT AND NOT TAKING IT?

YOU KNOW HOW HE GETS.

WELL, WE'RE GONNA SHOW HIM A BUNCH OF GOLD.

HIGH FIVE, BROTHER.

BOOYAH.

-RIGHT ON, MAN. -SWEET.

YOU GO WHERE THE GOLD IS.

HEY, TRUCK DRIVERS, WE'RE GONNA STOP

HAULING FROM WHERE WE WERE HAULING FROM

AND START MAKING OUR WAY TOWARDS THE RIVER.

Man: SOUNDS GOOD, BOSS.

DO THIS.

Narrator: RICK FOLLOWS HIS GUT,

BUT THAT MEANS ABANDONING PAY DIRT

THAT PARKER HAS SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS STRIPPING.

HE'S TAKING A RISK CHANGING THE MINING PLAN WITHOUT PERMISSION.

I HAVEN'T RUN THIS BY PARKER, OBVIOUSLY, YET,

AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I WILL.

I'M MAKING THE DECISION.

I'LL WORRY ABOUT PARKER LATER.

RIGHT NOW, I'M FOCUSED ON IS 100 OUNCES AT THE NEXT CLEANUP.

PERIOD.

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Narrator: TONY BEETS' SECOND DREDGE

IS STILL STUCK AT THISTLE CREEK,

BUT HIS TWO MINING OPERATIONS HAVE DELIVERED

OVER 2,500 OUNCES OF GOLD,

WELL ON TRACK TO HIT HIS 3,000-OUNCE,

$3.6 MILLION GOLD.

IT'S GOT TO GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT.

THAT IS POSITIONED PERFECT.

Narrator: KEVIN HAS SHUT DOWN HIS DREDGE

TO INSTALL A VIDEO MONITORING SYSTEM.

RIGHT THERE, KEV?

Kevin: FOCUS A TINY BIT.

THE IDEA WITH THIS IS THAT WHEN THERE'S AN ISSUE,

YOU CAN SEE IT RIGHT AWAY.

THIS WAY, THE OPERATOR SHOULD BE ABLE TO STOP

THE PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN.

IT SAVES ME COMING OVER HERE TWO,

THREE TIMES A DAY TO FIX THINGS.

WHAT'S UP?

BECAUSE I'M PUTTING THE CAMERAS IN.

I'M PUTTING THE CAMERAS IN,

THEN I'M OFF TO SEE THE GIRLFRIEND FOR A BIT.

NO, YOU GOT ENOUGH GRANDKIDS.

POWER ON.

Narrator: KEVIN HAS INVESTED $10,000 ON 8 CAMERAS

THAT WILL CLOSELY MONITOR KEY PARTS

OF THIS 75-YEAR-OLD DREDGE.

Kevin: YOU CAN SEE DOWN IN THE HOPPER THERE.

THIS IS FOR THE ROCK SHOOT.

THERMAL CAMERA AND THE STACKER CAM.

IT'S LOOKING GOOD.

HOWDY, EVERYBODY.

CAMERAS ARE NOW ONLINE ON THE DREDGE.

KENNY, IF YOU CAN COME UP HERE, TAKE OVER?

I'M GONNA GO CLEAR SOME TAILINGS QUICK.

LET'S CRANK IT UP.

UP!

Narrator: DREDGEHAND KENNY DAVE FIRES HER UP

WHILE KEVIN LEVELS THE TAILINGS PILE.

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HUH, WHAT?

HELL.

SO WHAT'S UP?

Kenny: LOST A LOT OF OIL.

FROM THE HYDRAULICS?

YEAH.