Gold Rush

Narrator: UP IN THE FROZEN NORTH,

THE RACE IS ON TO FIND GOLD.

OH! WHOA!

Narrator: UNEMPLOYED AND DEEP IN DEBT, THE HOFFMAN CREW

PUTS EVERYTHING THEY HAVE INTO THEIR SECOND MINING SEASON.

IF WE DON'T MAKE IT THIS SUMMER, WE'RE DONE.

Narrator: ALMOST THREE MONTHS AGO, THEY CAME TO THE KLONDIKE

AND SET UP A NEW MINING OPERATION AT QUARTZ CREEK.

GOOD LUCK, DAVE.

THEY'VE SPENT WEEKS DIGGING DOWN TO PAY GROUND...

THAT'S GOOD GOLD DIRT RIGHT THERE, MAN.

COMING DOWN.

...AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

GETTING THEIR WASH PLANT DIALED IN.

GUYS, WE'RE DOING IT.

WE'RE JUST STARTING, BUT WE'RE DOING IT.

Man: YEE-HA!

Jack: GOOD LORD.

Narrator: OVER HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON,

THE HOFFMAN CREW IS FINALLY ON THE GOLD.

TO REACH THEIR GOAL OF 100 OUNCES,

THE CREW PUSHES THE LIMIT.

HOLY

EASY, JACK. EASY, JACK. WHOA!

Jack: WHAT THE...

Narrator: 600 MILES SOUTH

AT PORCUPINE CREEK,

THE DAKOTA BOYS CHANGE THEIR TACTICS...

THE BEAST SAYS HE'S HUNGRY.

Narrator: ...AND SEE INSTANT RESULTS.

FOUND A FEW LITTLE FLAKES RIGHT HERE.

Dustin: LOOK, I FOUND A DADDY. HOLY COW.

AND AT BIG NUGGET,

TEENAGE MINER PARKER SCHNABEL DOES THE WORK OF TWO MEN...

Parker: UH-OH. TROUBLE.

HI.

Narrator: ...UNTIL HIS MOM SHOWS UP ON THE CLAIM.

DON'T YOU EVER TREAT ME LIKE THAT.

YOU THINK I CAN'T SHUT THIS DOWN?

YOU'RE WRONG.

AT QUARTZ CREEK UP IN THE KLONDIKE,

THE HOFFMAN CREW IS 83 DAYS INTO A 150-DAY MINING SEASON.

Todd: WE'RE IN THE PHASE NOW

WHERE WE WANT TO KEEP RUNNING AND EFFICIENTLY GET OUR GOLD.

TRY THAT.

OKAY. THAT LOOKS AWESOME.

WE'RE NOT LEAVING HERE WITHOUT 100 OUNCES.

IT'S TIME FOR OUR TEAM TO DIG DEEP.

EVEN IF WE GOT TO SLEEP IN THE CAB,

WE'RE GONNA RUN SOME DAMN DIRT.

I THINK WE CAN TAKE IT UP A MAJOR NOTCH.

Narrator: THE CREW SPENT WEEKS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

SETTING UP THEIR WASH PLANT.

TURNED INTO A BIGGER DEAL THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT.

Narrator: THEY LIFTED IT BY THREE FEET,

GOT RID OF THE HYDRAULIC RIFFLES,

AND REPLACED THEM WITH SLUICE BOXES.

THE MODIFICATIONS FINALLY BROUGHT THEM GOLD.

Todd: ALMOST FOUR OUNCES.

Narrator: BUT TO MAKE THIS SEASON A SUCCESS,

THEY NEED 100 OUNCES, OR 25 TIMES WHAT THEY NOW HAVE.

ARE WE GONNA MAKE IT OR BREAK IT?

Narrator: THE CREW CALLS IN A GOLD-MINING EXPERT

TO MAKE SURE THE WASH PLANT IS CATCHING EVERY FLAKE OF GOLD.

THAT'S FRED DODGE. HE'S OUR MINING CONSULTANT.

YOU HAD TO LEAVE EARLY?

HOW ARE YOU DOING? GOOD, HOW ARE YOU DOING?

BEFORE SOMETHING BREAKS,

I WANT TO HAVE YOU LOOK AT THIS SUCKER.

Remsburg: WE GOT A LOT OF WORK DONE

SINCE FRED LAST WAS HERE TO COACH US,

AND I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS RETURN.

Narrator: FIRST OFF, FRED INSPECTS THE SLUICE BOXES.

Dodge: NEED MORE WATER.

YEAH, IT'S LOW RIGHT NOW. Todd: IT'S WAY LOW.

THAT NEEDS WATER FOR SURE.

NEED ANOTHER 200 TO 300 GALLONS A MINUTE.

Narrator: FRED SPOTS A MAJOR PROBLEM.

THE WHOLE RIFFLE'S PACKED IN. YEAH.

THE GOLD IS SUPPOSED TO COLLECT IN THE RIFFLES.

BUT IF THEY'RE FULL OF DIRT,

THE GOLD WASHES RIGHT OUT OF THE SLUICE BOXES ONTO THE GROUND.

IT'S CATCHING GOLD,

BUT WE'RE PROBABLY SPITTING GOLD OFF THE END AS WELL.

WELL, WHAT DO WE WANT TO DO?

WE WANT TO GET MORE PITCH OR MORE WATER,

BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, WE'RE PLUGGED UP, AND WE'RE LOSING GOLD.

RIGHT.

IF WE'RE THROWING GOLD OUT THE SLUICE,

I'LL BE SICK TO MY STOMACH.

OUR BOXES, THE ANGLE NEEDS TO BE CHANGED A LITTLE BIT.

AND WE NEED TO JUICE IT UP WITH THE WATER, MORE WATER.

Narrator: THE FIRST THING THE HOFFMAN CREW HAS TO DO

IS SET THE SLUICE BOXES AT A STEEPER ANGLE.

SO OUR SIMPLEST PLAN NOW IS

TO RAISE THE FRONT OF THE BOX A COUPLE INCHES.

THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND FIRE SOME WATER UP,

MAYBE TAKE A PEEK.

LET'S GET THE PLANT GOING, AND THEN LET'S WATCH IT.

HE'S THE MAN.

HE SAYS IT NEEDS TO CHANGE, WE'RE CHANGING IT.

THERE'S NO QUESTION.

JUST GO ONE SIDE AT A TIME.

THEN WE'LL LEVEL OFF THIS SIDE.

Narrator: USING THE BUCKET OF THE 228 EXCAVATOR,

THEY START BY LIFTING THE SLUICE BOXES.

OH, ARE WE GONNA THROW SOME WOOD UNDER THERE?

YEAH.

HEY, DAVE?

GO TO THE OTHER SIDE.

COME DOWN HARD.

OKAY, IT SHOULD SETTLE DOWN ABOUT LEVEL THERE.

Narrator: THEY INCREASE THE ANGLE OF THE SLUICES

FROM 15 TO 25 DEGREES.

GOOD. YEAH, I LIKE THAT.

NOW THEY NEED TO DO A TEST RUN

TO DETERMINE IF THEY'RE CATCHING MORE GOLD.

FRED WANTS TO RUN 1,000 YARDS AND CHECK OUT THE CHANGES,

SO LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE A LONG NIGHT.

SEE IF WE CAN GET 1,000 YARDS IN

AND DO ANOTHER CLEANOUT IN THE MORNING.

BYE.

WE'LL FIRE UP.

WE MADE ALL THE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT MOVES.

WE'VE TAKEN HIS ADVICE.

MAYBE WE'RE GONNA UP OUR CATCH.

I THINK WE'RE STILL A LITTLE LIGHT ON WATER.

Narrator: AT THE INTAKE POND,

THE PUMP RUNS AT A STEADY 1,500 RPM.

Todd: WANT ME TO GO UP ABOUT 50 RPM?

LET IT GO UP.

YEAH, FRED WANTS TO RUN AT 1,550.

TODD!

LET'S TRY AND GO UP MORE.

STILL USE ANOTHER 150 GALLONS A MINUTE.

FRED URGES TODD TO CRANK THE WATER FLOW TO THE MAX.

MORE WATER.

NOW, NEARLY 3,000 GALLONS OF WATER

RUN THROUGH THE SLUICE BOXES EVERY MINUTE.

GETTING CLOSE.

JUST AS THE WATER FLOW IS STARTING TO LOOK RIGHT...

GOOD LORD. LOOK AT THIS.

WE LOST OUR WATER.

YEAH. WE GOT TO CUT IT.

SHUT IT DOWN!

...45 MINUTES INTO THEIR TEST,

TODD HAS TO SHUT OFF THE PUMP.

I TURNED AROUND AND, BAM, THE WATER'S OFF, JUST THAT QUICK.

SO THIS WHOLE THING -- THAT'S THICK WITH MATERIAL.

WE RUN OUT OF WATER. FREAKING JOKE.

Narrator: AROUND THE WATER-INTAKE PIPE

IS A SCREEN TO KEEP OUT FLOATING DEBRIS.

IT'S COMPLETELY CLOGGED UP WITH MUD.

THE HOFFMAN CREW HAD HOPED TO RUN 1,000 YARDS OF DIRT

THROUGH THEIR NEW AND IMPROVED SLUICES.

BUT AFTER JUST 75 YARDS,

THEY ARE ONCE AGAIN DEAD IN THE WATER.

YOU KNOW, WHAT THE HECK -- YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE DO?

Narrator: DOWN AT THE BIG NUGGET MINE IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA...

DON'T BREAK.

...17-YEAR-OLD PARKER SCHNABEL

IS ON THE HUNT FOR A NEW DIG SITE.

HE NEEDS GOLD, AND QUICKLY,

TO KEEP HIS FAMILY MINE FROM GOING UNDER.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR A TREE THAT'S CUT OFF

AND, LIKE, AS A BOUNDARY MARKER.

Narrator: YEARS AGO,

PARKER'S 91-YEAR-OLD GRANDFATHER, JOHN SCHNABEL,

MARKED THE BOUNDARY OF THIS CLAIM.

IT'S IN THE...MESS

OF BROKEN, FALLEN, CRISSCROSSED TREES.

Narrator: PARKER HOPES THIS ANCIENT FOREST HAS NEVER BEEN MINED.

BUT BEFORE HE CAN DIG, HE HAS TO FIND OUT

WHERE HIS CLAIM STOPS AND THE OTHERS BEGIN.

WE'RE RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS THE LINE THAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN HERE.

I'LL BE ABLE TO DIG RIGHT UP TO 10 FEET WITHIN OUR LINE.

IF YOU TAKE GOLD FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S LAND,

THEY'LL PROBABLY SUE YOU.

SOME BLUE RIBBON.

WE'RE PROBABLY CLOSE.

OH, SEE, HERE'S THE -- THERE'S THE MARKER.

HMM. IT DOES SAY "J.S."

OUR LAND.

SOMEBODY ELSE'S LAND.

Narrator: PARKER'S SEARCH FOR VIRGIN GROUND

HAS HIM TO THE EDGE OF HIS CLAIM.

OKAY. SO NOW WE SHOULD KNOW WHERE THE GOLD IS.

WELL, YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE THE GOLD IS

UNTIL YOU DIG IT OUT OF THE GROUND.

Narrator: 2 1/2 MONTHS AGO,

PARKER TOOK OVER THE BIG NUGGET MINE FROM HIS GRANDPA.

HE RAN STOCKPILED DIRT THAT BROUGHT HIM 10 OUNCES OF GOLD,

WORTH ABOUT $16,000.

Parker: THIS IS OUR FIRST FULL WEEK OF RUNNING,

AND WE'RE DEFINITELY MAKING MONEY.

Narrator: HE THEN SPENT FOUR WEEKS

TRYING TO FIND NEW GOLD-BEARING DIRT.

HOW DEEP ARE THESE THINGS?

Narrator: HE FAILED.