Gold Rush

RICK, I GOT SOME BAD NEWS. I GUARANTEE YOU'RE LOSING GOLD.

REALLY?

THESE GUYS NEED ALL THE GOLD THEY CAN GET,

SO WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE ANY.

WELL, . JUST GOING FROM BAD TO WORSE,

'CAUSE I'M GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THIS MESS MYSELF.

WHAT'S GOING ON, MONICA?

WE'VE GOT A HOLE IN OUR TOP SCREEN.

HOW BAD IS IT? AH, CRAP.

YES.

THIS PLANT WEIGHS A GOOD 100,000 POUNDS.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BRENNAN?

WHOA! WHOA! STOP! STOP! -WHOA!

WHAT THE HAPPENED?

WE NEED TO GET SOME GOLD COMING IN.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

WOKE UP THIS MORNING, WAS GONNA TAKE A SHOWER...

YEP.

...AND SOME DIRTY WAS USING MY BAR OF SOAP.

-NO WAY. -YEAH.

WHO THE DOES THAT?

SHUT THE -- SHUT UP!

WHAT THE IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE HERE?

YOU'RE JOKING.

WHY WOULD I JOKE ABOUT ?

WHAT'S THE WORLD COMING TO?

Hey, Rick, you didn't use my soap, did ya?

I DON'T SHARE A SHOWER WITH YOU, SO IT WASN'T ME, I PROMISE.

Narrator: RICK NESS HAS MINED OVER $700,000 WORTH OF GOLD

IN JUST OVER 3 MONTHS

AS HE SETS HIS SIGHTS ON BECOMING

A MILLION-DOLLAR MAN.

Rick: A LITTLE OVER HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON RIGHT NOW.

WE'VE GOT A LITTLE OVER HALFWAY TO OUR GOAL OF 1,000 OUNCES.

Narrator: BUT LAST WEEK,

RICK'S GOLD HAUL FELL BY A MASSIVE 60%.

41.3.

I STILL THINK WE CAN GET MORE OUT OF OUR PLANT.

THERE'S JUST A FEW LITTLE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO.

WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO TWEAK IT

AND GET IT RUNNING AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE.

Narrator: GOLD EXPERT FREDDY DODGE

IS BACK TO HELP FIGURE OUT WHY RICK'S GOLD HAS DROPPED.

HE'S THE MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE GUY I KNOW.

WHEN IT COMES TO WASH PLANTS AND GOLD RECOVERY,

FREDDY DODGE IS THE MAN.

FREDDY. -HOW'S IT GOING, RICK?

PRETTY GOOD, MAN.

HOW YOU BEEN? -BUSY.

-BUSY? -GOOD TO SEE YOU, MAN.

YEAH, YOU, TOO. WE'VE BEEN BUSY AS WELL.

HOW'S EVERYTHING GOING?

EVERYTHING IS GOING GOOD IN THE CUT.

WE'VE GOT GROUND. WE'VE GOT GOLD COMING IN.

IT'S JUST NOT COMING IN VERY QUICK, YOU KNOW?

I JUST DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO GO ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW.

MIGHT BE A FEW LITTLE THINGS WE CAN TWEAK.

YEAH?

WELL, LET'S GO PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND SEE WHAT

WE CAN FIGURE OUT. -ALL RIGHT.

Narrator: FREDDY DODGE HAS OVER 40 YEARS' EXPERIENCE

BUILDING AND RUNNING WASH PLANTS.

Freddy: THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO

TO MAKE THINGS MORE EFFICIENT,

MAKE THINGS RUN A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

HEY, RYAN!

HOW'S EVERYTHING GOING ON THE SLUICES?

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S STARTING TO LEAN ONE WAY.

IT'S LEANING?

I THINK IT IS.

I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK HOW THE WATER'S PILING UP

IN THAT CORNER. -YEAH.

DO YOU THINK IT'S STILL SITTING PRETTY LEVEL OR IS IT...

-THE SLUICE LOOKS LEVEL. -DOES IT? OKAY.

-YEAH. EYEBALLING IT. -I WAS JUST EYEBALLING IT.

Freddy: WE NEED MORE WATER, TO START WITH.

HANG ON ONE SECOND.

OH, .

WE GOT A MAJOR ISSUE GOING ON HERE, THOUGH.

WE SHOULDN'T HAVE ROCKS LIKE THIS COMING DOWN THE SLUICE BOX.

HALF-INCH MINUSES IS ALL SHOULD BE GOING DOWN THE SLUICE BOX.

PIECES OF ROCKS THIS SIZE, NOT THAT SIZE.

Narrator: A STEADY FLOW OF WATER CARRIES THE CONCENTRATE

THROUGH THE SLUICE BOX...

...SO THE HEAVY GOLD DROPS STEADILY

INTO THE EXPANDED METAL RIFFLES.

WHEN LARGE ROCKS ENTER THE SLUICES,

THEY DISRUPT THE FLOW,

AND GOLD IS WASHED INTO THE TAILINGS.

WE'RE MAKING A LIVING OFF OF FINE, FINE GOLD HERE,

AND A LIKE THAT RUINS IT.

HOW'S SHE LOOKING, FREDDY?

WELL, WE GOT SLUICE ISSUES.

WE GOT BIG-ASS ROCKS. -HOLY .

HOW IS THAT GETTING IN THERE?

THERE'S A HOLE SOMEWHERE.

HEY, RICK.

-THAT A BIG ROW OF HOLES? -YEAH.

LOOKS LIKE INCH-AND-A-HALF HOLES.

I NEVER EVEN NOTICED THEM.

YEAH, THERE'S ALL IN THROUGH THERE.

MAN, I DON'T KNOW HOW I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT.

I WONDER WHAT THE HELL THOSE HOLES ARE THERE FOR.

I DON'T KNOW.

THEY MUST HAVE HAD SOMETHING BOLTED TO IT IN THE PAST.

Narrator: IN ITS PREVIOUS LIFE,

DURT REYNOLDS RAN GRAVEL FOR A ROADBUILDING CREW.

WELL, WE NEED TO SHUT DOWN AND GET THOSE WELDED UP.

I GUARANTEE YOU'RE LOSING GOLD. -REALLY?

ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT IS GRAB A PAN AND GO LOOK.

ALL RIGHT.

Rick: MAN, I HOPE IT'S NOT BAD.

WE'LL PAN IT OVER HERE.

LOOK AT THAT, RICK.

THEY'RE SMALL, BUT THEY'RE THERE.

IN ONE PAN.

YEAH.

WELL, I CAN'T REALLY ARGUE WITH THIS.

I MEAN, IT'S IN THE PAN, RIGHT?

IT'S GOLD THAT'S NOT EVER GOING TO FIND THE SCALE, HUH?

YEAH.

BUT, MAN, IF WE SHUT DOWN, WE GOT TO BE QUICK ABOUT IT.

-YEAH. -LET'S DO IT.

Rick: IT'S NOT GOOD.

IT SUCKS IS WHAT IT DOES.

HEY! LET'S DO THIS!

WHOO!

Narrator: 11 MILES EAST,

PARKER SCHNABEL IS CHASING 6,000 OUNCES,

WORTH $7.2 MILLION.

YEAH, I MEAN, RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST OVER 2,700 OUNCES.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALMOST HALFWAY TO OUR GOAL.

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

BUT SLUICIFER IS OUT OF PAY DIRT AND STANDING IDLE.

Parker: SO TODAY, WE'RE MOVING SLUICIFER AGAIN.

WE'RE GONNA KEEP GOING FORWARD AND GET TO 6,000,

SLUICIFER IS THE KEY INGREDIENT IN THAT.

RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DIG OUT THE CENTER AREA

FOR ALL THE MATERIAL

THAT'S BUILT UP FROM WHERE WE'VE BEEN SLUICING.

AS SOON AS WE GET IT CLEANED UP, THEN WE'LL ACTUALLY BE READY

TO MOVE SLUICIFER HERE, SO...

THIS IS LIKE PLAYING "OPERATION!"

I KNOW!

THIS IS A REALLY EXPENSIVE VERSION OF IT.

THAT'S RIGHT.

Narrator: MOVING SLUICIFER COST $2,400 AN HOUR IN LOST GOLD.

PARKER NEEDS THE MOVE TO BE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.

BUT THE 700 EXCAVATOR HE NORMALLY USES

TO MOVE THE PLANT IS DOWN WITH A BROKEN TRACK.

-HEY, MITCH. -WHAT'S UP?

OH, NOT A WHOLE LOT. I WAS JUST TRYING TO THINK ABOUT

HOW TO MOVE THIS PLANT.

I MEAN, WITHOUT THE 700,

I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THIS THING WITH.

YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THE PARTS ARE ON ORDER,

SO THEY SHOULD BE HERE ANY DAY.

YEAH, BUT WE'RE IN THE YUKON.

"ON ORDER" COULD MEAN A DAY, IT COULD MEAN A MONTH.

YEAH.

WHERE'S OUR CHINOOK?

YEAH.

WE NEED A CHINOOK AND ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER.

WELL, WHAT ABOUT THE DOZER? IT'S OUR LAST OPTION, RIGHT?

I MEAN, WE'VE NEVER MOVED THIS THING WITH A DOZER, HAVE WE?

IT'LL PULL IT NO PROBLEM,

BUT YOU CAN'T WATCH IT LIKE A HOE.

YOU KNOW, AT LEAST WITH THE EXCAVATOR,

EVERYTHING CAN BE NICE AND CONTROLLED

AND YOU CAN GET A LOT OF LIFT ON IT.

BUT, I MEAN, THERE'S REALLY NOT ANOTHER CHOICE.

I DON'T WANT TO DO IT, BUT...

-YEAH. -ALL RIGHT.

LET'S JUST START YARDING ON IT.

Narrator: PARKER NEEDS TO MOVE THE PLANT 600 YARDS

TO THE NEW PAD ABOVE THE PAY DIRT HE'LL BE MINING.

HE NORMALLY USES THE 700 EXCAVATOR

BECAUSE ITS 45-FOOT BUCKET ARM

CAN LIFT THE SKIDS OF THE 45-TON WASH PLANT.

BUT THE D10 HAS NO LIFTING ARM,

MEANING IT CAN'T GET THE SAME LIFT AS THE EXCAVATOR,

AND IF IT DRAGS IT HORIZONTALLY,

THE SKIDS WILL DIG THEMSELVES INTO THE DIRT.

WE'RE JUST RIGGING UP THE CABLE TO THE BACK OF THE DOZER HERE.

Narrator: USING THE CABLES, PARKER IS ATTEMPTING

TO TURN THE RIPPER ARM INTO A LIFTING ARM.

Mitch: YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO PULL IT BACK INTO YOU A LITTLE BIT.

Parker: YEAH, WATCH THE PINCH POINTS HERE.

Mitch: THERE YOU GO. HOLD THERE.