Gold Rush

Narrator: UP IN THE YUKON...

THIS GOLD IS OURS.

Narrator: ...TODD AND DAVE ARE AT WAR

OVER WHICH GROUND TO MINE.

I THINK WE OUGHT TO MOVE THIS PLANT.

I'M NOT MOVING THIS PLANT

UNTIL I KNOW I GOT ALL THE GOLD HERE.

Narrator: BUT DAVE FINDS NEW GROUND...

THAT'S A GREAT PAN.

Narrator: ...THAT GIVES THE HOFFMAN CREW...

MOMENT OF TRUTH!

...THEIR BEST GOLD OF THE SEASON.

WE'RE GONNA GO WAY PAST 1,000, TODD.

TONY BEETS AND FAMILY...

...STRUGGLE TO INSTALL THE HEART OF THEIR GOLD-MINING DREDGE.

BE CAREFUL IN THERE, DADDY.

Narrator: A 9-TON TROMMEL.

Tony: WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!

Narrator: AND FOR THE FIRST TIME

IN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY...

...BREATHE SIGNS OF LIFE

INTO THEIR 75-YEAR-OLD GOLD DREDGE.

AND OVER AT SCRIBNER CREEK...

WE GOT TO HAUL ASS.

...TONY LAYS DOWN THE LAW.

PARKER HAS TO DIG ANOTHER TWO FEET OF BEDROCK.

EVERY TIME WE TAKE MORE BEDROCK, WE START LOSING MONEY.

IT TAKES A TOLL ON HIS PLANT...

Man: THAT ONE'S BROKEN. THAT ONE'S BROKEN.

Narrator: ...AND ON HIS GOLD TOTAL.

TONY BEETS JUST COST ME 25,000 BUCKS.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: AT SCRIBNER CREEK,

PARKER SCHNABEL HAS 1,030 OUNCES OF GOLD

WORTH $1.2 MILLION.

WITH JUST SEVEN WEEKS

TO REACH HIS 2,000-OUNCE, $2.4 MILLION GOAL,

HE HAS HIS CREW WORKING ON TWO CUTS.

ALL RIGHT, RICK, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO START HAULING MUD.

All right, man. I'll get on it.

Narrator: IN THE FAR CUT,

GENE AND GREG ARE RUNNING PAY FROM THE BEDROCK.

WE'RE JUST MOVING OUR WAY UP THE FAR CUT HERE.

THE FAR CUT'S ALMOST DONE.

Narrator: ACROSS THE CREEK IN FANTASY LAND,

THE SAVVY 20-YEAR-OLD IS ALREADY A STEP AHEAD,

STRIPPING GROUND FOR A NEW CUT.

Parker: RICK'S NOT HAULING PAY. I'M NOT HAULING PAY.

WE'RE BOTH JUST HAULING OVERBURDEN,

AND IT'S JUST WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.

I MEAN, THERE'S SOME DEEP GROUND IN HERE.

Narrator: TONY BEETS, THE CLAIM OWNER,

GETS 15% OF PARKER'S GOLD.

HE INSPECTS THE FAR CUT

TO BE SURE PARKER GETS EVERY LAST FLAKE OF GOLD

BEFORE THEY FILL IT IN.

HOW'S IT GOING, TONY?

YEAH, WE BEEN PLOWING THROUGH IT.

WOW.

YEAH.

WE'RE TAKING A FOOT.

WE PANNED SOME OF IT, TRYING TO KEEP GOING.

OF THE BEDROCK? YEAH.

WELL, A DAY'S SLUICING IS 15 GRAND.

I DON'T THINK THERE IS.

PARKER HAS FOUND GOLD

IN THE FIRST FOOT OF FRACTURED BEDROCK,

AND HE'S ALREADY RUN IT.

TONY THINKS THE GOLD GOES DOWN ANOTHER TWO FEET

AND DEMANDS THAT PARKER DIGS DEEPER AND RUNS IT.

YEAH, AND I'M THE ONE THAT LOSES THE MONEY, TONY.

BYE.

Narrator: PARKER HAS NO CHOICE

BUT TO GO BACK AND DIG DEEPER INTO BEDROCK.

Parker: TONY'S GOOD AT MAKING IT HARD TO MAKE MONEY ON THIS GROUND.

PRETTY SOON, YOU'RE NOT RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

HE TOLD ME THAT HE'S NOT TOO BOTHERED BY IT.

YOU THINK I GIVE A WHAT HE'S BOTHERED BY?

IT'S NOT HIS TIME TO BE BOTHERED WITH.

IT'S MY TIME. I PAID HIM FOR IT.

Narrator: 30 MILES NORTH AT PARADISE HILL,

TONY BEETS' MINE IS SHUT DOWN

AFTER THREE CREW MEMBERS UP AND QUIT.

TONY'S WIFE, MINNIE, HAS PULLED THEIR KIDS, MONICA AND KEVIN,

OFF THE DREDGE TO RESTART THEIR OPERATION AND GET SOME GOLD.

I KNOW THE DREDGE IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, BUT THIS IS PRIORITY.

YOU DON'T HAVE THREE PEOPLE HERE.

YEAH, WHERE?

YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT HAPPENING.

YOU HAVE TO SLUICE HERE IN ORDER TO WORK THE DREDGE.

YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT.

WHAT'S UP?

THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE DOING A WEEK'S WORTH IN THREE DAYS.

WE WANT TO GET THERE JUST AS MUCH AS YOU DO,

BUT WE'LL HAVE TO GO TWO SHIFTS.

ALL RIGHT, WE'LL DO WHAT WE CAN.

Narrator: TO MINE A WEEK'S WORTH OF PAY DIRT IN JUST THREE DAYS,

TONY SETS THE PACE,

LOADING GOLD-RICH, WHITE-CHANNEL PAY

IN HIS 25-YEAR-OLD EXCAVATOR.

MONICA HAS TO KEEP UP,

HAULING DIRT TO THE PLANT IN THIS 769 ROCK TRUCK.

HOLY

Narrator: KEVIN RUNS THEIR 20-YEAR-OLD,

55-FOOT TROMMEL HARD,

LOADING IT TO ITS MAX.

300 YARDS OF PAY DIRT AN HOUR.

Kevin: THIS IS THE HARDEST WE'VE RUN

THE TROMMEL UP HERE AT THE HILL.

WE'RE GOING A LITTLE ROUGH TO GET IT IN THERE.

HEY, MONICA.

I CAN'T KEEP TO THE PLAN IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME NO DIRT.

Monica: KEVIN, WE'RE BRINGING THIS DIRT

TO YOU AS FAST AS WE CAN.

Narrator: TONY HAS THE MINE

AND HIS FAMILY RUNNING OVERTIME.

BUT TO GET THE DREDGE REBUILT WHILE GOLD MINING THIS SEASON,

THE BEETS FAMILY WILL HAVE TO WORK THEMSELVES TO THE BONE.

20 MILES SOUTH...

AT McKINNON CREEK,

THE HOFFMAN CREW IS ALREADY 2/3 OF THE WAY THROUGH THE SEASON.

BUT THEY HAVE BARELY A QUARTER OF THE GOLD THEY NEED

TO REACH THEIR 1,000-OUNCE, $1.2 MILLION GOAL.

Todd: TODD TO JACK. TODD TO JACK.

Yeah.

WHAT BUCKET ARE YOU AT?

RIGHT NOW, I'M AT 54.

KNOCK ON WOOD, RIGHT NOW, WE'RE KICKING SOME ASS.

JUST OVER 300 YARDS AN HOUR.

Narrator: THEY'VE STRUGGLED ALL SEASON,

BUT THEY ARE NOW RUNNING PAY DIRT WORTH $11 PER YARD

FROM THEIR HIGHER CUT.

THIS GOLD IS OURS.

WE CLAIM IT. WE'RE GONNA DIG IT THE FRICK UP.

Narrator: THE PAY SHOULD ONLY GET BETTER

WHEN THEY HIT THE GOLD-RICH LAYER ON BEDROCK.

THAT'S BEDROCK. WHERE?

RIGHT THERE.

YEAH, THAT'S BEDROCK RIGHT THERE.

I DON'T KNOW. LOOK AT -- THAT'S ALL SAND.

RIGHT THERE WHERE THE BUCKET IS, I HIT BEDROCK.

BUT TWO FEET BELOW THAT, I'M HITTING ROCK.

IT'S NOT BEDROCK.

WHY DO WE HAVE BEDROCK

STICKING UP RIGHT HERE AND NOT RIGHT THERE?

WHERE IS IT OVER HERE, ANDY?

SEE THAT RIGHT THERE YOU'RE STANDING ON NOW?

THAT'S BEDROCK, ISN'T IT?

OR IS THAT JUST SAND LAYERS?

YOU THINK THAT'S SAND OR BEDROCK?

HARD TO GUESS WHERE THIS BEDROCK'S GOING.

IT POPPED UP RIGHT HERE.

RIGHT.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: IN THE HIGHER CUT, THE BEDROCK IS UNEVEN.

IF THE HOFFMANS CAN'T FIND THE GOLD-RICH DEPOSITS

THAT COLLECT ON BEDROCK,

THEY'LL END UP LEAVING THE BEST GOLD BEHIND.

IS THIS BEDROCK OR NOT? WHAT'S GOING ON?

I THINK IT'S A FALSE BEDROCK.

I THINK IT'S A SILTY -- MAYBE AN OLD, ANCIENT CHANNEL.

SOUNDS LIKE A COP-OUT.

YEAH, THIS IS A COLLEGE EDUCATION IN GOLD MINING, GUYS,

AND WE'RE GETTING EVERYTHING THROWN AT US.

THE PROBLEM IS, WE GOT THE FINAL EXAM RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: TODD, DAVE, AND ANDY ARE CONFUSED.

THE ONLY WAY TO FIND OUT IF THEY'RE RUNNING

THE GOLD-RICH BEDROCK LAYER IS TO HAVE A CLEANUP.

JIM THURBER IS OPTIMISTIC THAT IT WILL PAY OUT, BIG TIME.

EVERYONE'S PINS AND NEEDLES.

THEY'RE ANTICIPATING A GOOD CLEANUP,

AND IF WE HIT TRIPLE DIGITS ON A CLEANUP,

CAN'T DESCRIBE WHAT THAT DOES FOR YOU.

Jack: THAT'S THE LAST LOAD IN.

SHOULD BE THE BEST GOLD WE'RE GONNA SEE OUT OF THAT CUT.

I HOPE IT'S GOOD ENOUGH.

YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU WEIGH IT UP.

WELL, GUYS, YOU KNOW,

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PUT THIS TO YOU,

BUT...WE HAVE 29 OUNCES.

Narrator: NOT EVEN $35,000.

THEIR PAY DIRT IS WORTH LESS THAN $4 A YARD.

I MEAN, WE DID EVERYTHING RIGHT.

THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THREE TIMES THAT.

THAT SHOULD BE THE BEST STUFF, BUT IT'S NOT.

Man: WELL, WHAT IN THE HECK?

HOW CAN THE BEDROCK NOT HAVE GOLD?

IT'S GOT TO.

SOMETHING'S WRONG.

Dave: I JUST FEEL LIKE I GOT KICKED IN THE STOMACH.

WE INVESTED A TON OF MONEY IN THAT CUT,

AND WE GET 30 OUNCES OUT OF IT?

OH, I KNOW.

LAST TIME I FELT LIKE THIS WAS IN THE JUNGLE.

I DON'T LIKE THAT FEELING.

I'M TIRED. WE'VE WORKED OUR BUTTS OFF.

OUR CUT'S A BIG PILE OF

I WON'T GET TO 1,000 OUNCES AT 30-OUNCE CLEANUPS.

THEY GOT TO BE BIG.

Narrator: AT SCRIBNER CREEK,