Gold Rush

Narrator: WITH THEIR GOLD-MINING SEASON SLIPPING AWAY...

YEAH!

...THREE CREWS RACE

TO FIND ENOUGH GOLD TO TURN A PROFIT.

WE'RE NOT GONNA REACH OUR GOAL OF 100 OUNCES

IF WE DON'T HURRY UP.

Narrator: AT QUARTZ CREEK,

THE HOFFMAN CREW IS FINALLY RUNNING GOOD DIRT...

REALLY GOOD.

Narrator: ...AND SEEING... CHUNK!

...GOOD GOLD.

Todd: WE HIT A POCKET OF GOLD.

Turin: I'M READY TO MAKE SOME REAL MONEY.

Narrator: BUT THEY ARE ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF PAY DIRT.

AND THE ONLY MACHINE THAT CAN GET TO MORE...

Jack: WHOA!

Narrator: ...IS ON ITS LAST LEGS.

AT PORCUPINE CREEK,

AFTER A MINING INSPECTOR SHUTS THEM DOWN,

"DAKOTA" FRED AND HIS SON TAKE IT OUT ON EACH OTHER.

I'M LEAVING.

Dustin: DON'T BE SUCH A

AND 17-YEAR-OLD PARKER SCHNABEL'S FIRST SEASON

AS THE MAN IN CHARGE GRINDS TO AN ABRUPT HALT.

ONE OF THE BEARINGS THAT RUN OUR TROMMEL HAS LOCKED UP.

Narrator: AT QUARTZ CREEK IN THE KLONDIKE,

THE HOFFMAN CREW HAS JUST 50 DAYS LEFT

TO FIND 80 MORE OUNCES OF GOLD

TO HIT THEIR 100-OUNCE GOAL.

Remsburg: RIGHT ON!

AFTER THREE MONTHS OF DIGGING IN THEIR PIT,

THEY'VE FINALLY HIT BEDROCK,

WHERE THE RICHEST GOLD DEPOSITS USUALLY COLLECT.

OKAY, LOOK AT THE COLOR.

PEOPLE SAY YOU GET

INTO THAT MAUVE-LOOKING, PINK-LOOKING STUFF,

AND YOU'RE ON IT, BABY.

SO, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU,

I CAN'T BELIEVE WE HIT BEDROCK.

I MEAN, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT FOR...

SO LONG THAT IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, FREAKY.

SO, THERE'S GOLD IN THIS, AND THERE'S GOLD ON THE BOTTOM.

HOPES AND DREAMS -- THAT'S WHAT GOLD MINING'S ALL ABOUT.

A HOPE AND A DREAM.

Narrator: SO FAR THIS SEASON,

THE HOFFMAN CREW HAS PULLED ONLY 20 OUNCES OF GOLD,

WORTH JUST $32,000, FROM THE KLONDIKE DIRT.

BIG DEAL.

THEY'VE DIALED IN THEIR WASH PLANT

AND MOVED 10,000 CUBIC YARDS OF DIRT.

FOR THE LAST SIX DAYS,

THEY'VE BEEN FEEDING THEIR WASH PLANT

WITH WHAT THEY HOPE IS PRIME PAY GRAVEL

FROM THE LAYER JUST ABOVE BEDROCK.

Jack: LET'S GO.

NOW THE HOFFMANS ARE 100 DAYS

INTO THE 150-DAY MINING SEASON.

IF THEY CAN GET TO $160,000 IN GOLD,

THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GO HOME WITH MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS.

THEY'RE BANKING ON THE DIRT NOW SITTING ON BEDROCK

TO GIVE THEM THEIR BEST CLEANOUT YET.

Turin: WE'RE ON THE BEST AREA RIGHT NOW.

THIS IS THE BEST GOLD THERE IS,

SO I'M READY TO GET SOME REAL GOLD, MAKE SOME REAL MONEY.

WE'RE PROBABLY RUNNING

AN OUNCE AN HOUR RIGHT NOW, I'M GUESSING.

THAT'S REALLY GOOD.

TODD'S WORKING STRAIGHT THROUGH LUNCH.

YOU KNOW, NO ONE'S TAKING BREAKS.

WE'RE JUST GOING AND GOING.

HE'S GOING FULL-SPEED, SO I'M NOT GONNA STOP HIM.

Doumitt: THE PLANT'S RUNNING GOOD, BEING ABLE TO KEEP UP.

I THINK WE'RE GONNA DO REALLY GOOD, TOO.

I THINK WE'LL HAVE A REAL GOOD CLEANUP THIS TIME.

THE SCUTTLEBUTT AROUND HERE

IS THAT IT WILL BE THE BEST CLEANUP WE'VE HAD.

Narrator: AFTER RUNNING FOR SIX DAYS STRAIGHT,

THEY FINALLY POWER DOWN THE WASH PLANT.

Todd: HEY. COME HERE.

I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE A DOUBLE-DIGIT CLEANOUT.

I'M GOING FOR 10 OUNCES.

Narrator: TODD IS CONVINCED THIS CLEANOUT WILL PROVE

THEY CAN STILL HIT 100 OUNCES.

Todd: WE HIT A POCKET OF GOLD.

I GOT REALLY GOOD GOLD IN HERE.

Narrator: THE HOFFMAN CREW NEEDS

A WHOPPING 80 OUNCES IN THE LAST THIRD OF THE SEASON.

TO STAY ON TRACK, THEY NEED 10 OUNCES, WORTH $16,000,

FROM THIS CLEANOUT ALONE.

Thurber: CHUNK! CHUNKY.

Turin: WE GOT A CHUNK, THURB?

A CHUNK.

LET'S CLEAN OUT AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WE GOT.

THIS CLEANOUT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE WE'VE EVER DONE.

HOPING FOR MORE GOLD EACH TIME.

Narrator: THEY REMOVE THE MINERS MOSS FROM THE SLUICE BOX...

OH, LORDY!

...AND TAKE IT OVER TO THE GOLD TENT FOR PROCESSING.

PERFECT.

Doumitt: IN THOSE THREE TUBS

IS HOPEFULLY, AT LEAST, 10 OUNCES OF GOLD -- AT LEAST.

ONCE I GET ONE BIN, THEN I'LL SWITCH IT OUT.

IT'S KIND OF ANXIOUS.

I HOPE FOR THE BEST, HOPE FOR A DOUBLE-DIGIT CLEANOUT.

WE HAVEN'T SEEN ONE YET, BUT I THINK TODAY'S THE DAY.

OOH.

Jack: OOH, I JUST HEARD "KA-CHING, KA-CHING" GOING IN THERE.

Doumitt: WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS RINSE ALL THE GOLD

OUT OF THIS MINERS MOSS.

IT SITS UNDERNEATH THE STEEL RIFFLES.

THIS STUFF'S DESIGNED TO TRAP GOLD.

NOW WE'RE TRYING TO UN-TRAP IT.

IS "UN-TRAP" A WORD, DAVE?

YES.

Narrator: THURBER THEN FEEDS THE GOLD-BEARING DIRT

INTO THE DUPLEX JIG

THAT SEPARATES THE LIGHT DIRT

FROM THE HEAVIER BLACK SAND AND GOLD.

Thurber: HEY, THAT'S PROBABLY ENOUGH TO START, HUH?

YOU FEED FOR A WHILE, THEN I'LL FEED.

WE'LL TRADE OFF.

Jack: OKAY.

NEXT THEY FEED THE GOLD-BEARING MATERIAL ONTO THE GOLD TABLE.

THERE IT IS.

Turin: HEY, LOOK AT THIS GOLD.

Todd: HEY, THURB, LOOK AT THAT.

WE'VE HAD SOLID GOLD

COMING OFF OF THAT FOR ABOUT 20 TO 30 MINUTES.

Remsburg: HEY.

Narrator: IT'S THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

THEY NEED AT LEAST 10 OUNCES FROM THEIR BEST DIRT YET.

ANYTHING LESS WILL BE A MAJOR BLOW

AND COULD JUST SEND THE CREW HOME WITH NOTHING TO SHOW

FOR FIVE MONTHS OF BACKBREAKING WORK.

Jack: NOW, POUR SLOW SO WE CAN GET IT.

ONE.

TWO.

Together: THREE.

Remsburg: IF THIS IS NOT A GOOD CLEANUP,

WE'RE GONNA BE DISAPPOINTED.

I CAN'T LET MY FAMILY STARVE.

I'VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF MY WIFE AND THREE KIDS.

FOUR. FOUR.

FIVE. FIVE.

Todd: COME ON, GUYS. I THINK THIS IS GONNA BE GOOD.

I REALLY DO.

SIX. SIX.

SEVEN. SEVEN.

STILL SOME IN THERE.

EIGHT. EIGHT.

WOW.

Turin:

EIGHT OUNCES.

Doumitt: WELL, BLUE SAID 7.74.

Todd: GOOD GUESS, BUDDY. YEAH.

I EXPECTED 10 OR 12 OUNCES OUT OF THERE.

WE ONLY GOT ABOUT EIGHT.

COME ON.

I MEAN, THESE GUYS AREN'T GONNA MAKE WAGES

WITH WHAT WE'RE GETTING OUT OF THIS CUT.

IT'S TOUGH WHEN YOU'VE GOT

LITTLE KIDS AT HOME AND MORTGAGES.

I COULD JUST IMAGINE WHAT THEIR WIVES ARE SAYING, YOU KNOW?

THEY'RE PROBABLY ASKING THE QUESTIONS.

"HOW MANY BILLS CAN I PAY? CAN WE GET A NEW CAR?

CAN WE GET A NEW HOUSE WITH NEW CARPET?"

WHO KNOWS? PRETTY TOUGH WAY TO LIVE.

Narrator: DOWN SOUTH AT PORCUPINE CREEK,

DAKOTA FRED'S CLAIM HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN BY MSHA,

THE MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.

Fred: I FINALLY GET MY FOUR GUYS

ALL TOGETHER IN ALL THE SAME PLACE,

THE EQUIPMENT IS WORKING.

POOF -- IN STEPS MR. MSHA.

I'M SO PISSED OFF, I CAN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT RIGHT.

Narrator: BEFORE HE CAN REOPEN THE MINE,

FRED HAS TO ADDRESS ALL OF THE MSHA VIOLATIONS.

SOME HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED AS SIGNIFICANT AND SUBSTANTIAL,

MEANING THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT RISK FOR INJURY TO OCCUR.

THERE'S SOME ROCKS IN THE WAY HERE.

WHERE AREN'T THERE ROCKS OUT HERE?

GOING DOWN TO OUR SLUICE BOX,

HE CALLED THIS SEVERE AND SUBSTANTIAL.

I MEAN, A CRIPPLED-UP, OLD, 70-YEAR-OLD DUDE

CAN WALK DOWN THIS, YOU KNOW?

SO...THAT'S A SEVERE AND SUBSTANTIAL VIOLATION.

Narrator: SO FAR THIS SEASON, THE DAKOTA BOYS HAVE ONLY FOUND

19 OUNCES OF THEIR 100-OUNCE GOAL.

PORCUPINE CREEK IS SHUT DOWN

BECAUSE FRED'S CREW DID NOT GO THROUGH ON-SITE MSHA TRAINING.

Man: UNTRAINED MINERS ARE A HAZARD TO THEMSELVES AND OTHERS.

Narrator: THE DAKOTA BOYS CAN'T MINE

TILL THEY GET AN APPROVED TRAINER ON-SITE.

Fred: THEY SAID, "YOU'RE OFF THE MINE SITE. THAT'S IT.

"THAT'S THE END OF YOUR MINING

UNTIL YOU GET THIS TRAINING DONE."

WE DID OUR TRAINING!

WE HAD BEEN CITED FOR VIOLATING A RULE, NUMBER --

I'LL GIVE YOU THIS NUMBER -- 48.25.

THAT DAMN BOOK.