"What are you going for?" "3,000." "you're 21 years old, man." "I thought you would go For like 10,000 ounces." "I'm a real underachieving 21-year-old." "That's for sure, todd." "On this "Gold rush"..." "Just know now That we're gonna do 3,000 ounces" "And not an ounce more." "Can you build a bigger one?" "I'd love to bump our goal Up to 4,000 ounces." "It." "Let's do it, man." "What do you say?" "Why not?" "right now, we're standing On a big-ass sail." "Can feel the wind Pullin' this thing." "whoa!" "broke loose!" "Not here to ruffle Any feathers or anything." "are you gonna let me Run the dredge a bit more?" "Captions paid for by Discovery communications" "six months ago," "The hoffman crew Left mckinnon creek" "And the klondike for good." "Just go for it." "But now they're back..." "Comin' up, sheamus." "...To dismantle monster red" "And take it 2,000 miles south," "To oregon." "clear one?" "yeah, clear." "Let her down." "Their first oregon operation" "Has so far produced" "A disappointing 50 ounces." "I don't know why The high bar isn't producing." "We tested it." "Something's going on." "I don't know what." "So they've opened up" "A second mine, the buckland." "And they need a wash plant." "didn't think we were Gonna need monster red." "But it looks like we're gonna." "So we'll get it, Break it apart," "Get it down there, See what happens." "I got to get This plant to oregon." "We got to get sluicing." "We're running out of time." "So we still got A couple big pieces" "That we got to get out of here." "We got that screen deck." "That's gonna be a huge piece." "sheamus, When we go to pick this," "I want to tighten These cables up." "I want to double-check And look at every pick point." "Roger that." "That sounds like A good idea, fred." "todd has drafted" "Klondike mine boss Sheamus christie and his crane" "To take apart The 100,000-pound plant." "This wind's Getting worse and worse." "Yeah, the wind is bad." "I'm nervous." "But, let's Get hooked up," "Try it, and put Some weight on it." "Freddy, you ready?" "Let's go." "Right now, we're standing On a big-ass sail." "You know, it's 20-some feet long, 6, 7 feet high." "You know, put a sail That big out," "See how much wind it catches." "Let's give it heck, sheamus." "Does it even move, fred?" "All we've done so far Is take a little cushion" "Out of the springs." "Yeah." "It's coming off over here!" "We're moving." "It's coming up." "I can feel the wind Pulling this thing." "Come on, baby." "Come on." "easy." "freddy, how's it look?" "When he clears the stand, We ought to have him come down." "Looking good, todd, Looking good." "Nearly there!" "Yeah!" "the screen deck Is safely stowed." "All that's left is To remove the shaker stand." "For the past 2 years, There's been over $5 million" "Worth of gold washed" "Right under where my feet are And end up in those sluices." "This is why we came here." "This is the most Important part." "We can't screw this up." "this whole trip Is about this part here." "It's pretty much priceless." "And -- and it's custom, Can't just go out" "And buy something Like this in short order." "How much do you think This thing weighs, fred?" "with all those chutes And the catwalks" "And stuff on it, Probably 25, 30." "Let's do it!" "6,000. 7,000." "8,000." "We're at 10,500." "15. 16." "17. 20." "23." "25." "Has it even budged?" "Hasn't even Moved an inch." "Keep hitting it." "I'm at 36,000." "I don't know, todd." "I don't Think it should be this heavy." "the crane is pulling At least 6,000 pounds more" "Than the weight Of the shaker stand." "Still, it won't budge." "What do you want To do, sheamus?" "Holy frick." "I'm just headed back, Get started for the year," "Helping tony move This other dredge." "gene cheeseman is back" "For his second season" "As tony beets' foreman." "it'll be good to do A challenging project," "Something new, Something different." "Not too many people Get to do that." "his mission " "Take apart tony's 500-ton Second dredge," "Transport it 150 miles," "And bring the ancient Gold machine back to life." "we got to barge it Down the yukon river." "So that's another challenge." "There's gonna be some Learning curve with that." "Looking forward to getting Started on the project." "That's why I'm here." "he hasn't been Around here much, has he?" "Well, he hasn't changed." "Let's put it that way." "Yeah." "Good, tony." "Yeah." "hi, gene." "hi, minnie." "Well, I had to Bring something." "Well, next time Bring something better." "Yeah." "Should be fun, I guess." "You being here, It will hurry things along." "well, yeah." "no, I'm ready to get going." " I knew you'd be ready." "awesome." "So what're you both Sitting here talking?" "I want to move that dredge Is what I want to do." "Yeah." "in the offseason," "Tony beets bought Two old tugboats" "To haul the dredge Down the yukon river." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Yeah." "We're gonna have to take That all apart anyways." "So I don't know." "I guess " "Yeah." "instead of starting On the second dredge," "Gene has to turn A pile of scrap" "Into a fleet of working tugs." "You know, we got wiring, Fuel tanks." "None of the cooling lines Are hooked up." "I need to go, make A few phone calls here" "About some of the controls And stuff." "It's kind of endless, you know?" "You look at the huge," "Big picture of things, It looks overwhelming." "okay." "I'm gonna go work." "Go to hell." "Go ahead and fire up That, 800" "And bring it over and tap it." "the hoffman crew is Taking its $360,000 wash plant" "South to their new Operation in oregon." "It's stuck right now." "It's not lifting it." "but the shaker stand Is stuck fast" "In the frozen klondike dirt." "Freddy dodge has a plan..." "They're gonna grab that 800 And try to get it out of there." "...Try to nudge loose One corner of the stand" "To give sheamus A better shot at lifting it." "Push out!" "Push out on the arm!" "There you go." "Whoa!" "Talk to me!" "Dig in And roll it this way." "Roger." "See if you can Get a better angle." "Yeah." "It's broke loose." "Okay." "Let's see if we can Lift the old girl." "We're gonna try to get The bucket underneath there," "Jiggle it a little bit While sheamus is pulling." "28. 29." "30,000 pounds." "There." "It's starting to move." "perfect." "yeah!" "Good job, sheamus!" "Yeah, looks like 30,000's the number." "I hate permafrost." "Just a little reminder Why I went to oregon." "Now one problem " "I got to find The frickin' gold." "We're making awesome progress." "A little bit smaller crew, But we're motoring right along." "I just hope we can keep this up For the rest of this season." "at scribner creek," "Parker schnabel is on the gold." "His new wash plant, sluicifer," "Has produced A healthy 126 ounces" "After just 4 days running." "it was surprising To see that much gold." "If this cut keeps going," "Like this little indication Shows right now," "We'll -- we'll hit our 3,000." "but parker's capping His target at 3,000 ounces," "The same as last year." "We're, um, at a bit of a limit" "Because tony's royalties are " "Start to really kick in And hit pretty hard." "Over 3,000 ounces," "We have to pay 25% royalty." "We need to make money this year." "We might be able to do As much gold as we did with," "You know, 12 or 14 people Last year" "With only 6 or 7 this season" "Because we're mining good And cheap and efficient." "You know, if I was doing it, I'd definitely have," "Some more hands on deck there." "But I know parker Doesn't want to have," "Any expenses," "Just wants to have the profit." "Hey." "Do you have about an hour?" "There's something I want to go show you." "Okay." "Give me a second here." "With fewer operators," "Parker's looking at ways Of moving dirt more efficiently." "So where are we going?" "Well, I met this guy" "That mines Down here on dominion." "He's custom built And designed these conveyors" "That he uses, actually." "To move all his dirt?" "Yeah, everything -- mud, Overburden, gravel, all of it." "You know, he just runs A three-man operation." "Wow." "So, those Are what he uses." "What the hell?" "That's one frankenstein Machine right there." "Yeah, they're pretty sweet." "You're moving everything 120 feet away from you." "I'd have to see one Running." "this machine Is the brainchild" "Of klondike innovator Adrian hollis." "Hi, parker, How you doing, buddy?" "good." "How are you?" "good." "good to see you." "yeah, the same." "this is rick." "hi, rick." "how you doing, buddy?" "he's our foreman." "okay." "Well, this is what we do." "This is how We move dirt here." "This thing puts up about 400, 500 yards an hour." "It's a cheap way To move dirt." "So this whole cut, Nothing but this conveyor." "nothing but this conveyor." "wow." "In fact, this cut is actually, 4,000 feet long." "The 130-foot mobile conveyor" "Sits on top Of an old excavator." "A single operator loads Overburden into the hopper." "The conveyor Then shifts it 120 feet up" "And out of the cut." "As soon as he finishes In one area," "The operator simply moves The whole machine" "And starts the process again." "You don't have Any other crew" "Other than one guy Feeding this thing?" "No, just one guy." "He just runs around, And he feeds this." "He just comes down here." "We just send him off With some pork and beans." "And he gets at it." "and the conveyor uses" "A fraction of the fuel" "Burnt by a fleet Of rock trucks." "So what's This thing cost to run?" "We generally Looking about, like," "Between $1,000 And $1,200 a day." "And you're moving 4,000 yards a day?" "Sometimes more." "Generally calculate All that costs" "On about 30 cents a yard." "That's 1/3 Of what we're at." "You can be On marginal ground." "And it doesn't have To have much gold in it." "And you're looking pretty sweet At the end of the season." "Pretty impressive." "Would you be willing To help build us one?" "If you can supply The guys and the material," "Then I'll look after it." "And we'll see If we can make one work." "So, what " " I guess I need an excavator" " to put this thing on?" "you certainly will." "Depends how big You want to make it." "Do you want to make a big one Or a little one?" "Can you build A bigger one?" "Well, if you got An old 700 sitting around," "I would say you wouldn't have A problem with 150 feet." "Thanks, adrian." "Thanks for your time." "no problem, son." "I appreciate it." "thanks a lot." "yeah." "it was great meeting you." "yeah." "all parker needs" "To start building His own super conveyor" "Is an excavator." "Yeah." "I think it could really Change our operation." "It could change A lot of things at our site." "I think it could make us A lot more efficient." "He's the mastermind Behind this." "So if he's willing to help," "Then I want To get one built." "We appear to be Good and going." "Kevin beets is at the helm" "Of his father's old dredge." "We are a-dredging." "That's not too bad." "in just the first 3 weeks of the season," "Kevin has produced 536 ounces of gold," "Worth well over $600,000." "Gonna drop my bucket Right down to a belt level." "And off we go." "That's nice bedrock." "There's been tons Of bucket line slippage today 'cause it's worn Right the out." "Now I am not moving at all." "even though the dredge Is producing good gold," "A slipping bucket line Has been slowing it down." "It's been An ongoing issue for " "Since we started." "Okay." "You stop." "You guys stop." "Well, I've shut it off Because it was about" "A minute of the bucket line Not moving at all." "It was like it was stuck." "So it kept turning up on top." "But the buckets Weren't moving." "That was grinding The absolute" "Out of the sprockets." "I can't dig that section." "It was pretty clear." "So no point in Beating the" "Out of the poor dredge" "Trying to get the ground When I can't dig it." "the bucket line Works like a bicycle chain" "Which is driven by a drive cog." "Wear plates on the wheel" "Act as teeth that engage The bucket line." "Over time, the wear plates Have worn down," "Which means the bucket line" "Is losing it's grip and slipping" "Whenever it has To dig the harder bedrock." "We know there's Some gold in this bedrock." "So we're missing out." "every time The dredge hits bedrock," "Kevin repositions it to mine Shallower, softer ground." "Shut down for 5 minutes," "Swing to where you need To go, and go from there." "Here comes tony." "It could be better." "Watch out." "sprockets on the bucket line..." "yeah?" "The wear plates, Those things are" "They're supposed to be square To catch the bottom" "They're all worn down." "Instead of being this thick, They're this thick." "That's causing The bucket line to slip." " yeah." "because of that," "We can't dig Worth a" "I want to pull these ones off, Get the new ones we had made," "Bolt them in, Weld them in, done." "Yeah, we don't Need gene for that." "I can direct welders, too." "It's basically my job here, too, 'cause part of the people " "it's three bolts." "yeah, yeah, yeah." "Yeah, yeah." "There's no Rocket science there." "Well, yeah." "But I can do that, too." "All right." "What can you do?" "It'd be really nice To get that fixed" "So we can actually dig again." "because he can't dig The gold-rich bedrock," "Kevin has to settle For lower-grade material." "tony wants to wait For gene to show up" "Before we can fix those." "I mean, he is the big boss." "So he gets to make The big calls." "I know I'm supposed to be Running the dredge." "Doesn't mean I get to." "Okay." "just drop 'em." "heads!" "heads!" "monster red Is finally loaded up." "good job, jack." "you bet." "Good job, fred." "thanks, man." "right on, guys." "thanks for helping us." "and the hoffman Crew can start" "The 2,000-mile journey home" "And try to salvage their season." "Away we go, back to oregon," "Right into the buckland." "I'll be damned." "parker, how you doing, man?" "not too bad." "how are you?" "all right, man." "Tired." "How's your summer going?" "Well..." "I don't know." "It hasn't Started off real great," "If you want To know the truth." "Just here getting The plant." "That's it." "Trying to liquidate What I have." "I got a hell of a yard sale Going on." "You needing anything?" "What do you want For that excavator?" "Well, make me an offer." "Let me have mitch Take a look at it." "And we'll just Put a value on it" "And go back and forth From there." "But we do need A bigger hoe like that" "For a project We're working on." "It's all yours, buddy." "I heard you're Going for 5,000 ounces." "yeah, I am." "that's a lot of gold." "Yeah." "What are you going for?" "3,000." "Just doesn't make sense" "With our royalty rates, You know?" "You're 21 years old, man." "I thought you would go For like 10,000 ounces." "I'm a real underachieving 21-year-old." "that's for sure, todd." "well, there you go." "What do you think?" "You've achieved everything 'cause you get a little gold In your pocket?" "did I say that?" "sounded like it." "No." "You tell me, man." "I'm only 47 years old." "What would I know?" "I just got finished Burying my grandpa." "You don't need to tell me Like that." "I don't know." "You know, I don't need that" "Come on!" "See you." "See you later." "Let's get out of here." "it will take The convoy 2 1/2 weeks" "To make its way To the new claim." "we need to get Monster red down to the buckland" "And start making some gold." "I'm gonna miss this place." "But my future isn't In the klondike." "Parker can have it." "hey, gene." "kevin." "you made it in." "Yeah." "How's it going?" "You know, Breaks." "Yeah." "Gene cheeseman has been sent" "To oversee a repair" "On the dredge's bucket line." "So I'm guessing You're here for the " "Yeah." "I got to look At the tumbler here" " and see, what's -- -what's up?" "What's up with that, Just figure out a plan." "We noticed it began To slip about a month ago." "I've been trying to get On tony's case" "To let us replace them." "But he really wanted to wait For gene, for some reason." " gene isn't needed here." " he's got better to do." "He should be on dredge Number two today." "For weeks, kevin and jason" "Have been wanting To make the fix themselves." "You guys are all big boys." "I don't think you need me Out here, but " "We kind of knew what was gonna Have to be done there, so..." "Not here to ruffle any feathers Or anything, so..." "I don't think We need a babysitter, so..." "No." "And I'm not Trying to do that." "So I don't want you To feel that way." "Yeah, we'll be good." "Yeah." "okay." "all right." "We could have fixed this problem On our own with the bucket line." "We have the welders here." "We have the wear plates." "Everything was Available to go," "And we were just waiting For the go-ahead from tony." "And he insisted On waiting for gene." "Yep." "We're just looking At the sprockets." "He can get started On the sprocket today, right?" "nowhe'sin arush." "Okay." "Phil's working on the bucket." "Jason and bob just Finishing cleaning out" "The hydraulic riffles For under the trommel." "Jason finished up Greasing the bucket line." "I can do that, yep." "Gotcha." "It's no different Than your bicycle chain." "If your teeth are screwed up On your bicycle chain," "Your chain skips." "That's all this is, Is a chain." "And it's skipping 'cause The sprockets wore out." "Now you got to Change those out." "These guys look like They got it figured out" "And doing a good job." "You know, I want to go move dredge two." "That's what I want to do." "It's what I'm interested in." "while gene Supervises the repair," "Dredge master kevin Pulls the mats" "To take home to tony as ordered." "tony's always Gonna micro-manage." "Doesn't matter if the cleanups Are good, bad, or great." "That's how he operates." "So you just learn to work With it like a natural disaster." "You don't just yell At the hurricane." "You wait for it to pass, Then you pick up the pieces." "I'll take this off to paradise" "So he can jig it, clean it." "Then we can see what we got." "I did a pan." "kevin has been Summoned home by his father," "While gene cheeseman oversees A repair on the dredge." " not too bad." "yeah?" "There's a lot Of material." "So there should be hopefully A lot of gold in that." "Yeah, yeah." "So if this turns out good..." "Are you gonna let me Run the dredge a bit more?" "No, that's not What I'm meaning." "I'm talking about, like, Letting me manage it." "Well, like With the sprockets" "on the bull gear." "yeah?" "'cause gene's plan Is the exact same plan" "I told you a month ago." "yes." "Are you gonna give me More responsibility" "And let me Make the call " "That when I say, "I want to fix this now."" "We can fix The thing." "Okay." "But when I say, "Is it time?"" "Will you listen?" "yippee." " okay." " finish this up." "He should know he can trust me To keep running," "That I don't need Someone to hold my hand" "Every time I decide To go left or right." "That's what he should Trust me with." "I'm getting Pissed off with this." "Todd hoffman really Irritated me the other day" "By saying we're, like, Some sort of slackers" "Only going for 3,000 ounces." "parker is on his way To see tony" "In a last-ditch attempt To improve his royalty deal." "truth of the matter is After 3,000 ounces," "We just -- we can't afford To pay a 25% royalty." "At the end of the day, This is a business." "We're stuck at 3,000 ounces" "As long as we're Leasing from tony." "And as long as he keeps Taking the same position he is." "For the last two seasons," "Parker has repeatedly tried And failed" "To renegotiate the deal With his claim owner." "well, let's, Give this a shot." "knock, knock." "hey, parker." "hi." "hey." "haven't seen you yet this year." "I know." "Sorry to hear About your granddad." "Thanks." "Hi, tony." "How you guys doing?" "We're good." "As good as can be, anyway." "You bringing us goodies?" "I am." "100 ounces for you." "Well, we just did 126" "Out of our first cleanup, First 4 days." "so that's good." "that pretty good." "And, I figure I'd get you out of my hair" "And just give you the minimum Royalty up front here." "Yeah, not bad." "Off the back of that, You know," "That's our minimum Royalty payment." "Yeah." "We're really stuck on Our maximum of 3,000 ounces" "With these royalty rates The way they are." "I mean, all I'm asking for" "Is to cap the royalties At 20%." "We can go for 4,000 Or 5,000 ounces," "Which would put -- You know, 20% " "That'd put 200 to 400 More ounces in your pocket." "That way, we can just Keep on chugging." "And it makes it Worthwhile for me to do." "And you guys keep getting More gold out of the ground." "At then end of the day, Something needs to change, 'cause I'm really Not up here" "To just every year Do 3,000 ounces or less." "Well, if that's the way It's gonna be," "Just know now that We're gonna do 3,000 ounces" "And not an ounce more." "Are we really Gonna stick to that?" "I think we should Talk about it." "Well, you got to do something, 'cause he wants to work." "How many people this day And age want to work?" "I don't want you to do that." "I mean, there should Be options, right?" "Let him bring the gold." "what's up?" "Yeah, we have our one From last year still," "big red." "good." "tony's offer Allows parker to mine" "Another 3,000 ounces At the lower rate" "As long as it's on A second claim." "Yeah." "I mean, I wasn't planning" "On having two operations Going this summer." "But I appreciate The compromise." "Right?" "Maybe you're not Such a bad guy, tony." "Thanks, tony." "That's a bit unexpected." "I really wasn't, thinking That was gonna happen." "This is pretty late To start a project like that." "Like, running a second operation In a second plant is, " "It takes a lot Of infrastructure, right?" "Do you have generators And pumps" "And feeders and loaders?" "And a lot of stuff That goes into it." "it looks as though You've brought me" "a machine, mate." "yeah." "parker has made A deal on todd's 700 excavator." "He can now have adrian build him" "A brand-new super conveyor." "looks good." "it's a little beat up." "It came from the hoffmans." "Well, it looks As though it's nothing" "That can't be repaired." "No, I'm really Lookin' forward to it." "Five weeks Should just about do it." "And you're in business." "Geez." "That's a lot of work." "you come have a look." "You tell me." "The beets family assembles" "For the third gold weigh Of the season." "Faulty wear plates On the dredge have meant kevin" "Has struggled To dig high-quality pay." "Now, they will find out How much it's cost them." "there she is." "30." "40. 50. 60." "70. 80." "90." "110. 130." "140. 160." "170." "No." "Right?" "despite the Slipping bucket line," "Kevin has brought in $260,000 in A single week." "yeah, it's hot." "it's hot." "no touchy." "Yeah, I think We could've done better, though," "If you had let me Fix those wear plates" "Way the back when." "wah, wah, wah." "no, no, no." "see -- -no wah, wah, wah." "We could've got a lot more." " he's got a point." "yeah." "I appreciate you" "Wanting me to, you know, Be involved in doin' it." "But I think kevin's More capable of doin' it." " well, I'm tryin' to be." "okay." "7568." "That's more than We had all last year." "yes." "Kevin does have A point though." "Tony has to let Go a little bit." "The less people Trying to make decisions," "The better." "It's like anything." "Work by committee Doesn't happen." "So here I am, gonna make it Work this year." "let's fry that up And put it on the table?" "30 miles south," "Parker schnabel Is also in his gold room," "Ready for his second Boundary cut weigh in." "all right." "Let's see what this is." "their first weigh-in" "Of the season was 126 ounces." "Here's 20." "60." "120." "140." "145 on the button." "whoo!" "nice." "yeah." "145 ounces, That's a good cleanup." "That's worth nearly $175,000" "And takes his total So far to 271 ounces," "Well on target For his season goal." "You know, I keep bugging tony" "About our royalty rates." "And, um, this week," "He did make a bit Of a compromise" "In that he said the only way We're gonna get away " "Around the royalty rates is," "We can run A second wash plant." "And it will reset at The original royalty rates." "Really?" "It's got to be A different plant," "A different plant On a different cut," "And be independent Of the other operation." "So each plant Pays its own royalties?" "yeah." "wow." "It starts Back at 15%, right," "And then Works up from there." "We've got that ground On indian river from tony" "That we got last year." "And we have yet To touch 'em at all." "I mean, it's all still Trees and swamp." "I'd love to bump our goal up To 4,000 ounces" "And try to do 1,000 Ounces down there." "I mean, if you want this, rick, I'm putting it on you." "You've got to want to do it." "And you've got to take it on." "And it's not gonna be easy." "So it's on you." "It." "Let's do it, man." "What do you say?" "Why not?" "let's give it a try." "yeah." "Hell yeah." "What are you thinking For a wash plant?" "Um, probably big red." "I know when we parked it, It was pretty tore up." "Sounds like you got Yourself a project, mitch." "Yeah." "That's it, man." "We're goin' big." "Let's get after it." "Get a steady flow of gold Down to that room?" "going big, mitch." "yeah." "You know, we're gonna go For 4,000 ounces." "This is our year to go big." "Trying to get another 1,000 with big red," "Probably not The easiest way to get there." "But if that's what we got to do, That's what we're gonna go do." "Parker saying It's all on me." "Well, it's kind of what I've Been thinking about, you know?" "What it would be like." "And so I " "I'm pretty excited about that." "And I'm getting more excited By the second now," "Um, 'cause I didn't really See it happening any time soon." "But now it's -- it's pretty much Being laid before me." "And I've got A huge opportunity now." "Yeah." "I guess we're starting A second operation." "Not really what I had in mind." "But," "Hey, gold price is good." "Fuel price is cheap." "So now's the time to be pushing For everything we can." "whoa." "Whoa." "Whoa!" "Rick's going under!" "on the next "Gold rush"..." "Gonna be the hardest Thing we've ever done." "You're losing Thousands of dollars a day." "We're not mining." "We're just wasting time." "Unless I see Something really screwed up..." "whoo." "..." "Rick's the boss." "You're kidding me." "It's just not gonna thaw." "Kevin, You're in trouble!" "supposed To be mining gold." " you don't like it?" " too bad." "Everybody has A breaking point."