Gold Rush

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"...

WHOO.

Parker: STOP. STOP.

THAT'S KIND OF A DISASTER.

YOU HAVEN'T LIVED UP TO THE LETTER OF THE CONTRACT.

I'M TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK.

THIS IS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN RIGHT NOW.

Poulson: IN 20 YEARS IN MINING,

I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

I JUST WANT TO PUNCH YOU ALL RIGHT IN THE FACE.

IF IT WAS UP TO ME, I'D FIRE ALL FOUR OF YOU.

ALL FOUR OF YOU ARE GONE.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

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COME ON. LET'S GO.

Narrator: IN THE KLONDIKE, PARKER SCHNABEL

AT SCRIBNER CREEK,

AND HIS RIGHT-HAND MAN, RICK NESS, AT INDIAN RIVER

HAVE MINED OVER 1,600 OUNCES

WORTH ALMOST $2 MILLION

TOWARDS THEIR 5,000-OUNCE, $6-MILLION TARGET.

Parker: WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON.

WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR HALFWAY TO OUR GOAL,

AND WE'VE LOST SOME PEOPLE.

AND AS MUCH AS I WANT TO BE GETTING CLOSER

TO LEAVING TONY IN THE OLD REARVIEW MIRROR,

IT HASN'T WORKED OUT THAT WAY YET THIS SEASON.

Narrator: SHORT ON DOZER OPERATORS,

PARKER IS STRIPPING OVERBURDEN IN THE UPPER CUT

THAT HE LEASES FROM TONY BEETS.

Parker: PUTTING GOLD IN THE BOX IS THE NUMBER-ONE PRIORITY,

AND SLUCIFER CHEWS THROUGH YARDAGE LIKE CRAZY,

AND I'M OUT HERE.

EVERYBODY'S OUT HERE BUSTING THEIR ASS

TRYING TO KEEP THIS PLANT GOING.

-Hey, Parker. -YEAH, GO AHEAD.

Ken Tatlow is here looking for you.

ALL RIGHT. YEAH. LET HIM KNOW I'M OVER HERE.

SEND HIM ON OVER.

HEY, PARKER.

HEY, KEN. HOW ARE YOU DOING?

DOING GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

Narrator: AT THE START OF THE SEASON,

IN HIS ATTEMPT TO GET OUT FROM UNDER TONY BEETS,

PARKER LEASED NEW GROUND FROM KLONDIKE VETERAN KEN TATLOW,

A MAN WHO SPENT HALF A CENTURY SUCCESSFULLY MINING FOR GOLD.

I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

THE MORE YOUR MAKE, THE MORE WE MAKE.

KEN'S CONTRACT STATES PARKER MUST BEGIN STRIPPING

THE NEW GROUND BY MID-SEASON.

IN THE CONTRACT, WE DO HAVE AN AMOUNT TO BE STRIPPED.

RIGHT. AND IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE

ANYTHING HAS BEEN DONE YET.

YEAH. I'VE BEEN MEANING TO MAKE IT DOWN THERE,

AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO DO

TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO SLUICE DOWN THERE.

RIGHT, YEAH.

AND I KNOW I'M SUPPOSED TO BE DOWN THERE BY NOW.

WHY DON'T WE GO DOWN THERE AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT?

YEAH, OKAY. OKAY, SOUNDS GOOD.

I HAVEN'T BEEN DOWN HERE IN QUITE AWHILE.

I DID GO DOWN THERE AND DIG A TEST HOLE AND LOOK AROUND.

YOU KNOW, THAT SPOT THAT I DUG THAT TEST HOLE,

IT WAS PRETTY GOOD.

I HAD, PROBABLY, 30, 35 COLORS.

IT'S JUST RIGHT IN THE TREES HERE.

THERE'S DEFINITELY GOLD DOWN THERE.

AND WHAT I'M GOING TO TRY TO DO

IS ALWAYS BE UP-FRONT WITH YOU.

I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THE CONTRACT.

I AM SERIOUS ABOUT MINING THIS GROUND.

IT'S JUST THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE WHAT WE'VE GOT.

WE'RE PRETTY SHORTHANDED.

WE HAD A LOT OF MECHANICAL PROBLEMS.

IT COST US A LOT OF TIME.

Tatlow: SO YOU JUST NEED THE MANPOWER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

THIS IS THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON NOW, JULY,

AND TIME GOES ON PRETTY FAST.

RIGHT.

SO IF I CAN BE OF ANY HELP FOR AN EXTRA OPERATOR,

I'LL COME DOWN AND DO IT FOR A FEW.

REALLY? YOU SURE YOU WANT TO BE AN EMPLOYEE?

I'LL HELP YOU OUT.

PERFECT. HOW'S THAT?

THAT SOUNDS GOOD. OKAY.

THAT'S BETTER THAN... OKAY, PERFECT.

THAT'S BETTER THAN BEING AN EMPLOYEE.

YEAH. NO, I'LL HELP YOU OUT, WHATEVER I CAN.

PERFECT.

KEN CAME UP HERE TO HELP US GET GOING ON HIS OWN GROUND,

AND I HATE TO HAVE HIM HELP US STRIP GROUND FOR TONY BEETS,

BUT WE HAVE TO GET THIS DONE BEFORE WE CAN GO DOWN

AND START STRIPPING KEN'S GROUND.

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Tatlow: I'VE BEEN MINING UP HERE SINCE 1957.

I DON'T FEEL 79.

ACTUALLY, I FEEL MORE LIKE I'M 60,

SO THERE'S SOME LIFE LEFT IN THIS OLD DOG AFTER ALL.

IT WOULD BE NICE IF I COULD DO THIS FOR A FEW YEARS YET,

IF MY WIFE WILL LET ME.

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Parker: WITH KEN'S HELP HERE ON THE DOZERS,

WE'LL GET WAY FURTHER AHEAD THAN WE ARE RIGHT NOW

AND MAKE THAT REAL STEP TOWARDS GETTING AWAY FROM TONY.

DAMN IT.

WE JUST BLEW A TRACK APART ON THAT CAT.

CAN'T ONE THING GO RIGHT?

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Narrator: AFTER WEEKS OF SETBACKS TAKING HIS SECOND

DREDGE APART, TONY BEETS IS FINALLY READY

TO BARGE THE FIRST MAJOR PIECE

DOWN THE YUKON RIVER, THE BUCKET LINE.

THE BARGE TAKES THREE DAYS TO COMPLETE EACH ROUND TRIP.

WITH TIME SHORT, TONY MUST HAVE A LOAD

READY TO LEAVE EVERY TIME HIS BARGE ARRIVES.

WITHOUT A TRACTOR-TRAILER,

TONY CAN ONLY HAUL ONE SECTION OF BUCKETS

PER 30-MILE ROUND TRIP.

IT TOOK AN HOUR.

NO, WE GOT TO KEEP AT IT, MAN.

YEAH. NO TIME FOR SLACKING.

NOPE.

EACH SECTION OF BUCKETS WEIGHS UP TO 12,000 POUNDS,

ROUGHLY THE WEIGHT OF TWO HEAVY-DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS.

ARE ALL 15 IN THAT CHAIN?

10,000?

HUH.

ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.

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TONY PUSHES THE LIMITS OF HIS LOADER

TO HAUL AS MANY BUCKETS AS POSSIBLE.

IDEAL.

- -GO!

Christie: A LOT OF WEIGHT THERE,

AND THAT'S ABOUT THE MAX FOR THAT LOADER.

THE BACK WHEELS ARE BARELY ON THE GROUND.

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IT'S TOO HEAVY?

OKAY.

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THERE WE GO.

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Narrator: BEFORE THE BUCKETS GO ON,

TONY UNLOADS VITAL EQUIPMENT

NEEDED TO CONTINUE THE DREDGE TEARDOWN.

Tony: GO.

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YEE-HAW.

DREDGE TWO IS ON ITS WAY.

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YOU GOT ANY WATER YET?

Narrator: IN COLORADO, HALFWAY THROUGH WHAT STARTED

AS A 5,000-OUNCE SEASON,

TODD HOFFMAN HAS MINED JUST 702 OUNCES OF GOLD,

WORTH LESS THAN $850,000,

BARELY ENOUGH TO KEEP HIS MINING OPERATION AFLOAT.

DOES SOMEBODY WANT TO GRAB THE BYPASS?

I got it.

Narrator: WITH THE FAIRPLAY AND SACRAMENTO MINES DOWN,

TODD'S LAST HOPE IS RUNNING PAY DIRT

FROM A NEW CLAIM, THE JEWELRY BOX.

Todd: THE JEWELRY BOX IS STARTING TO PAY OUT REALLY GOOD.

HUNTER IS RUNNING THE PLANT WITH ALL THE YOUNG GUNS.

THEY'RE DOING GREAT, SO WE'RE GOING TO RUN

THAT JEWELRY BOX FROM THE TOP DOWN.

IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME.

Spinks: WELL, THE TESTS CAME BACK GOOD.

HOPEFULLY, THIS ALL PANS OUT.

YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, ALL I WANT TO DO IS GET BACK ON THE GOLD

AND START MAKING SOME MONEY.

Hunter: I'M EXCITED TO RUN THIS NEW DIRT TODAY.

I'M HOPING THE JEWELRY BOX DIRT IS GOOD.

HOPEFULLY, IT'S GOING TO HELP US TURN A CORNER

AND HELP US GET ON TO SOME GOOD CLEANUPS.

Narrator: TODD'S SON, 18-YEAR-OLD HUNTER,

WITH A CREW OF YOUNG GUNS,

RUNS THE HOFFMANS' ONLY OPERATING WASH PLANT,

MONSTER RED.

YOU KNOW, MOST OF MY CREW IS A BUNCH OF YOUNG GUYS.

SO, YEAH, IT'S KIND OF COOL.

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME WORKING AT A GOLD MINE.

I HAVEN'T GOTTEN YELLED AT, SO I FEEL LIKE I'M DOING ALL RIGHT.

HEY, I NEED THE WHOLE PLANT CREW UP HERE

TO MEET ME AT MY OFFICE FOR A SAFETY MEETING.

OKAY, COPY THAT. WE'LL SHUT DOWN THE PLANT

AND HEAD OVER RIGHT NOW.

HEY, GUYS, WE GOT A SAFETY MEETING.

CAN SOMEBODY COME AND PICK ME UP?

Narrator: IT'S A 10-MINUTE DRIVE...

-LET'S GO. -...FROM THE PLANT