Gold Rush

I'M LOOKING AT OVER A WEEK SHUT DOWN,

AND I CAN'T AFFORD IT, YOU KNOW?

Parker: YEAH, I'M NOT REALLY SEEING ANY GOLD IN HERE.

THIS IS SUCH A HOFFMAN MOVE, TOO.

LIKE, "OOH, LET'S JUST SLUICE MORE GRAVEL!"

IT JUST PISSES ME OFF.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Rick: THINGS ARE GOING PRETTY GOOD RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW?

I GOT A BUNCH MORE GROUND OPEN. HAPPENED TO --

MANAGED TO GET A NIGHT SHIFT ON, SO WE'RE RUNNING 24 HOURS A DAY.

Narrator: RICK NESS HAS PULLED

OVER TWO-THIRDS OF A MILLION DOLLARS OF GOLD

OUT OF THE GROUND,

BUT HE'S STILL A LONG WAY FROM HIS DREAM

OF BECOMING A MILLION-DOLLAR MINER.

Rick: EVERYTHING IS WORKING PRETTY GOOD,

SO JUST GOT TO KEEP IT TOGETHER FOR THE REST OF THIS SEASON.

Hey, Ryan, what would Jack Hoffman say?

"YOU'RE ALL MILLIONAIRES.

YOU JUST GOT TO GET THE GOLD OUT OF THE GROUND."

"THERE'S A STICK IN YOUR TAILGATE."

Narrator: RICK'S CREW IS IN THE DOWNSTREAM CUT,

HAULING WHAT THEY HOPE WILL BE THE BEST PAY OF THE SEASON.

THIS TROMMEL HAS ACTUALLY BEEN REALLY RELIABLE

AFTER WE GOT IT DIALED IN,

SO IF THIS THING KEEPS RUNNING LIKE IT IS,

WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE OUR GOAL.

Narrator: RICK TAKES CHARGE OF CLEARING TAILINGS

TO KEEP DURT REYNOLDS RUNNING.

THIS IS WHERE WE HAD, BASICALLY, THE BEST DRILL HOLES ON THE MAP,

REALLY HOPING THAT OUR GOLD AVERAGE GOES UP,

AND I'M HOPING THE BEST GOLD OF THE SEASON COMES OUT OF HERE

BECAUSE WE NEED IT.

HEY, RYAN. DO YOU HAVE A COPY, RYAN?

YEAH, BEN. GO FOR RYAN.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO DO

WITH YOUR SET OF THE PROFITS?

PROBABLY THE FIRST THING I'M GONNA GET IS A GOLD TOOTH.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'D QUITE GO WITH A GOLD TOOTH,

BUT I THINK A VACATION SURE IS WELL-DESERVED.

Terry, what about you?

What are you going to do with your share of the gold?

I'M GOING TO LEAVE IT IN A JAR AND WAIT

FOR THE MARKET TO CRASH, AND THEN I'LL CASH IT IN.

I STILL WANT TO GET THAT PET DONKEY WHEN I GET HOME, TOO.

WHAT THE IS THAT?

WHAT THE ?

OH, COME ON!

THAT SOUND!

JUST WHEN THINGS ARE GOING GOOD.

THE IS WRONG WITH THIS THING?

THAT BEARING DOESN'T SOUND GOOD.

.

HEY, CARL, CAN YOU HEAD UP TO THE WASH PLANT?

I THINK SOMETHING'S UP HERE.

Narrator: MECHANIC CARL ROSK ARRIVES

TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM.

OOH, YEAH.

Carl: THIS BEARING IS .

OKAY? SO, YEAH, THAT'S BASICALLY THE BEARING.

THE CAGE FAILED. -YEAH.

BEARINGS FELL OUT.

THEY'RE ALL GONE. - .

SO THE BALL BEARING IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THERE.

SO THIS THING IS DUST. IT'S ALL DUST, RIGHT?

THERE'S NOT A LOT OF SHRAPNEL.

. THIS IS NOT GOOD.

Narrator: THE TROMMEL ROTATES ON FOUR STEEL WHEELS.

ON EITHER SIDE OF EACH WHEEL SITS A BEARING MECHANISM,

ALLOWING THE WHEEL TO TURN.

THE CAGE SEPARATING THE ROLLER BEARINGS HAS FAILED.

LOOSE WITHIN THE HOUSING,

THE BEARINGS HAVE GROUND THEMSELVES TO DESTRUCTION.

UNTIL RICK CAN FIT A NEW BEARING,

HE'S LOSING $1,000 IN GOLD AN HOUR.

PROBABLY NOT GOING TO HAVE THIS IN DAWSON, RIGHT?

IT'S 3 OR 4 DAYS, PROBABLY A WEEK

NO MATTER HOW YOU SLICE IT, RIGHT?

WE DO NOT HAVE A WEEK FOR THIS.

I KNOW.

RICK'S $1.2 MILLION TARGET DEPENDS ON HIM

FINDING A BEARING, AND FAST.

JUST A DAY ALL AROUND.

I'M GOING TO HAVE TO FIND A BEARING

FOR THIS WASH PLANT.

I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHERE I'M GOING TO FIND ONE,

BUT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GET CREATIVE.

EVERY PART OF THIS SEASON HAS BEEN ROUGH,

AND WE'RE SO FAR BEHIND ON GOLD.

EVERY WEEK, WE'VE REALLY GOT TO PRODUCE.

PARKER SCHNABEL IS OVER HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON

BUT ONLY A THIRD OF THE WAY TO HIS $7.2 MILLION GOAL.

THE BIG THING NOW IS,

WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP BOTH PLANTS RUNNING.

WE'RE SO LATE IN THE YEAR, AND WE'VE LOST SO MUCH TIME.

Narrator: BIG RED IS RUNNING AT 200 YARDS AN HOUR.

AT THE OTHER END OF THE LAST CUT,

SLUICIFER IS SMASHING ANOTHER 250.

WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO HAVE BAD CLEANUPS.

WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE ANY REAL ISSUES,

EITHER ON THE PLANT-SIDE BREAKDOWNS

OR ANYTHING ON THE GROUND SIDE.

IT JUST NEEDS TO BE THE BEST STUFF.

Narrator: PARKER'S FOREMAN, DEAN TOSCZAK,

IS OPENING GROUND...

IT BEING MY FIRST SEASON FOR PARKER,

I REALLY DON'T WANT TO LET HIM DOWN.

IF A PERSON DOESN'T DO WHAT'S EXPECTED OF HIM,

HE WON'T BE DOING IT LONG.

Narrator: ...AND IS CONFIDENT HE'S DOWN TO GOLD.

IT'S BLACK SOIL AND EVERYTHING THAT'S...

IT'S LOOKING GOOD.

IT'S A GOOD SIGN THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE GOOD GOLD HERE.

WHAT THE , DEAN? LOT OF GRAVEL IN HERE, HUH?

YEP.

WOW.

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THIS AMOUNT OF GRAVEL IN HERE?

WELL, I'VE RUN WORSE-LOOKING STUFF.

SEEMS TO HAVE A LOT OF GOLD IN IT.

NORMALLY, WE DON'T SLUICE THIS MUCH GRAVEL,

SO I'M A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED ABOUT

JUST THE AMOUNT OF IT HERE, YOU KNOW?

WE USUALLY SLUICE ABOUT PROBABLY 2 FEET.

RIGHT NOW, DEAN HAS GOT ABOUT FIVE OR SIX IN THE CUT.

Narrator: PARKER NORMALLY ONLY MINES

THE GOLD-RICH FIRST 2 FEET OF BEDROCK

AND THE 2 FEET OF GRAVEL ABOVE.

DEAN HAS FOUND GOLD 5 FEET ABOVE BEDROCK,

BUT THEY NEED TO FIND OUT IF IT'S ENOUGH TO TURN A PROFIT.

PARKER PANS IT TO FIND OUT.

WELL...

I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS.

THERE'S...WHAT IS THERE?

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE COLORS IN THERE.

-PRETTY SMALL. -YEAH, THEY'RE SMALL.

ME.

I DON'T LIKE SECOND-GUESSING MYSELF, AND ONE WAY TO TELL

IS TO RUN A 24-HOUR TEST, AND THEN WE KNOW.

IT'S GOING TO COST YOU MONEY TO MOVE THE GRAVELS, ANYWAY.

SO WHY NOT JUST RUN IT THROUGH THE PLANT

AND MAYBE GET SOME RETURN ON IT?

.

IT'S JUST, IF IT'S BAD,

THEN THERE GOES ANOTHER 24 HOURS, RIGHT?

PARKER, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS A WHILE.

I'VE FOUND GOOD PAY 6 FEET ABOVE BEDROCK.

I WOULD SAY, AT A MINIMUM,

30 OUNCES, 24 HOURS.

Narrator: PARKER WILL RUN A 24-HOUR TEST.

IF THEY GET 30 OUNCES OF GOLD,

DEAN'S DIRT WILL BE WORTH RUNNING.

YEAH, I MEAN, IF WE'RE GOING TO STAY ON TRACK TO GET

6,000 OUNCES, LIKE, THIS TEST NEEDS TO HAVE AT LEAST 30 IN IT.

OTHERWISE, IT'S GOING TO BE A MASSIVE WASTE OF TIME.

LIKE, DEAN BETTER BE RIGHT.

YOU KNOW, I FEEL SOLELY RESPONSIBLE

TO GET THIS CUT READY,

AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S ALL ON MY SHOULDERS.

MISTAKES COST MONEY OUT HERE, AND IT CAN COST A SEASON.

TO RUN A TEST, CHRIS DOUMITT NEEDS TO CLEAN OUT

SLUICIFER'S SLUICE BOX

SO THEY CAN START WITH FRESH MATS AND RIFFLES.

WE HAVE TO DO THE TEST. WE HAVE TO KNOW, YOU KNOW?

WE RUN A TOPSOIL, OR WE RUN JUST BAD GROUND.

OKAY, PARKY, HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Narrator: CHRIS UNLOCKS THE SAFETY CHAINS

TO LOWER THE SLUICES.

HERE WE GO.

WHOA, CHRIS!

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?

IT WAS ON FREE SPOOL!

AS SOON AS I TOUCH THIS THING, IT CAME A-CRASHING DOWN!

SOMEBODY COULD'VE VERY EASILY BEEN KILLED ON THAT DROP.

IT'S BENT OUT OF SHAPE THERE.

THAT IS , MAN.

THAT AIN'T GONNA CATCH GOLD.

GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

SO WHEN I TOOK THE SAFETY CHAINS OFF,

AS SOON AS I TOUCHED THE CONTROL KNOB,

SHE CAME A-CRASHING DOWN.

THAT'S BAD. THAT'S, LIKE, REALLY BAD.

YEAH. NOW THAT'S GONNA CHANGE

THE ANGLE OF THE SLUICE, ISN'T IT?

THIS IS A MAJOR DEAL.

WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO PULL THIS WHOLE TRAY OUT OF HERE

IN ORDER TO STRAIGHTEN IT.

THIS THING IS .