"Gold Rush" Mine Boss for the Day

1 00:00:00,700 --> 00:00:02,000 [theme music playing] 2 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,000 [soft instrumental music] 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:18,074 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm 4 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,760 [Mitch Blaschke] Good morning. How's it going? 5 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,990 -[Nona Loveless] Good. How's it going with you? -[Mitch] Not too bad. 6 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:30,660 We got a lot going on out there. 7 00:00:30,660 --> 00:00:32,860 [Nona] You're gonna have a busy few days. Parker's away. 8 00:00:32,860 --> 00:00:35,860 So, you get to go running around like a chicken with your head cut off. 9 00:00:35,860 --> 00:00:38,290 Oh, as big as this operation has gotten, 10 00:00:38,300 --> 00:00:40,890 it leaves us a lot of area to cover. 11 00:00:40,900 --> 00:00:43,260 Plus, trying to keep the Long Cut going at the same time. 12 00:00:43,260 --> 00:00:45,590 Well, if you need a hand, I'm here to help out. 13 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:47,360 [Mitch] Hopefully, we can keep these plants around, keep some gold coming in. 14 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:48,990 [Nona] I got my fingers crossed. 15 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,490 [Mitch] All right. You have a great day. 16 00:00:50,500 --> 00:00:51,500 [Nona] Take care. 17 00:00:52,260 --> 00:00:54,300 [dramatic instrumental music] 18 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,560 [sighs] Parker's away today. 19 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,890 We got three wash plants running. 20 00:01:01,900 --> 00:01:03,600 We gotta keep the wheels rolling. 21 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,560 I don't think we're gonna run out of work to do today. 22 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:12,590 [narrator] Mitch Blaschke is stepping into mine boss Parker Schnabel's shoes. 23 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:17,560 He's responsible for Parker's 9,500-acre empire, 24 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:22,390 where crew are running an army of wash plants round the clock. 25 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:27,560 In the Long Cut is 40-ton shaker, Rocksand. 26 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,890 Old faithful Big Red churns through pay in the Bridge Cut. 27 00:01:31,900 --> 00:01:37,360 And wash plant Bob sluices for gold in the Sulfur Cut. 28 00:01:38,660 --> 00:01:40,760 After a season of missteps, 29 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,000 everyone needs a big finish. 30 00:01:46,460 --> 00:01:49,360 This is my 13th season mining, 31 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:51,760 11 of those now with Parker. 32 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,160 When I first started coming up here, gold mining, 33 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,290 you know, I was just a mechanic. 34 00:01:56,300 --> 00:02:01,160 From there, you know, now I'm the foreman here at Parker's mine site. 35 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:03,890 And this company has gotten so big over the years. 36 00:02:03,900 --> 00:02:07,290 What's crazy is, you know, thinking back how it started, 37 00:02:07,300 --> 00:02:12,560 it was just, you know, one dozer when I started working for Parker. 38 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,460 [narrator] This season, Parker has amassed more ground and crew 39 00:02:18,460 --> 00:02:20,260 than ever before, 40 00:02:20,260 --> 00:02:23,300 and it's proven difficult to keep the gold flowing 41 00:02:24,100 --> 00:02:26,660 and the machines running. 42 00:02:26,660 --> 00:02:29,560 You know, right now, we've got Jordan heading out to fix the excavator. 43 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,890 We've got Janko and Taylor working on loaders. 44 00:02:32,900 --> 00:02:37,460 So, there's constantly something that needs done. 45 00:02:37,460 --> 00:02:41,560 [Taylor] The plants require everything to be working to have 100% uptime. 46 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:45,190 We really can't afford downtime, this season especially. 47 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:47,290 We're trying to get tons of sluicing done, 48 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:49,760 and these loaders are what get the job done. 49 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,090 [intriguing instrumental music] 50 00:02:52,100 --> 00:02:53,590 [Mitch] Today, with Parker being gone, 51 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,390 I've gotta come out here and make sure everything's good. 52 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,660 There's a constant list of problems, 53 00:02:59,660 --> 00:03:03,200 And the biggest issue with that is just trying to prioritize. 54 00:03:05,660 --> 00:03:07,260 [Jordan on walkie-talkie] 55 00:03:08,460 --> 00:03:09,700 [Mitch] Yeah, what's up? 56 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,060 All right, dude. I'll see you down there. Thanks. 57 00:03:19,500 --> 00:03:22,260 Right now, we're gonna head over to the water pump here for Rocksand, 58 00:03:22,260 --> 00:03:24,360 see exactly what's going on. 59 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,760 Not ideal, obviously, any time you have a situation like this, 60 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,090 your wash plant's down, 61 00:03:29,100 --> 00:03:30,790 it's not producing gold. 62 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:32,760 At the end of the day and the end of the week, 63 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,560 Parker's gonna say, "Why are the numbers down? What's going on?" 64 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,900 You have to explain what exactly happened. 65 00:03:39,300 --> 00:03:40,960 [narrator] Earlier this season... 66 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:42,990 [Parker] We live and die by the water pump, right? 67 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,260 Wash plants don't run, cuts don't get dewatered. 68 00:03:46,260 --> 00:03:49,690 [narrator] Parker spent $540,000 69 00:03:49,700 --> 00:03:53,560 on three new supersize water pumps. 70 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,290 [Parker] Do they give us a full tank of fuel? 71 00:03:56,300 --> 00:03:58,060 Bone dry. 72 00:03:58,060 --> 00:03:59,460 Thanks, guys. 73 00:03:59,460 --> 00:04:02,860 Spent half a million, and they siphoned out the fuel tank. 74 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,990 They're brand new, but a lot of rust buildup in the tanks, 75 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,660 just 'cause they sat with no fuel in 'em. 76 00:04:11,660 --> 00:04:14,290 And the first thing I said when I saw that was, 77 00:04:14,300 --> 00:04:18,560 "Put these in a pond and test them before they come out." 78 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,190 [narrator] Mitch suspects rust has clogged the pump's fuel filter 79 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,990 and plans to swap it out for a much older spare. 80 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,560 Right now, we just gotta get this plant up and running. 81 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:30,160 And we have a water pump here that works, 82 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,200 and we're gonna put it back in place. 83 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:37,860 Right now, we got the 480 coming in here, 84 00:04:37,860 --> 00:04:39,590 and we're gonna lift this pump out. 85 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:41,700 We're gonna put the old one back in place. 86 00:04:43,100 --> 00:04:46,200 [narrator] Helping him, mechanic Jordan Sands. 87 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,060 [Jordan] Here I am, helping out my friends. 88 00:04:50,060 --> 00:04:52,360 [Mitch] All right, here we go. Don't drop it. 89 00:04:58,060 --> 00:04:59,160 Nice and easy. 90 00:05:00,700 --> 00:05:02,490 Look at that. 91 00:05:02,500 --> 00:05:04,630 Beautiful. 92 00:05:07,100 --> 00:05:10,660 Right on the ball! That was beautiful. 93 00:05:10,660 --> 00:05:13,460 [narrator] The rusted pump sent to the yard, 94 00:05:13,460 --> 00:05:18,260 Mitch and Jordan set about craning in the replacement pump. 95 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,100 Hopefully, it's got enough life left in it here to finish this cut out. 96 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:28,560 Jordan's gonna get it rigged up here, we're gonna fly it in, 97 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,460 we gotta line up the discharge, get that hooked up, 98 00:05:31,460 --> 00:05:33,090 and then we gotta get the suction on it. 99 00:05:33,100 --> 00:05:35,300 And, hopefully, we'll be back up and sluicing. 100 00:05:37,300 --> 00:05:38,260 Heck, yeah. 101 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:40,660 -[Jordan exclaims] -[Mitch] She's heavy. 102 00:05:40,660 --> 00:05:42,290 [Jordan] Yeah, it is. 103 00:05:42,300 --> 00:05:44,060 [Mitch] Don't put it over the water. 104 00:05:50,660 --> 00:05:52,490 Right now, we're just positioning the pump. 105 00:05:52,500 --> 00:05:55,960 The hardest part here is, we gotta line up our discharge on the pump 106 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:58,160 to our buried discharge here. 107 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:00,760 And it's pretty much gotta be right on the money. 108 00:06:01,700 --> 00:06:03,000 [Jordan] Hella close. 109 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:12,360 [Mitch] You know, when you're doing this kind of stuff, dude, 110 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:14,760 stuff's gonna break, stuff's gonna not work. 111 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,060 [Jordan] Don't matter the product, don't matter the make. 112 00:06:17,060 --> 00:06:19,360 -Right. -[Jordan] She's turning. She's on her way to break. 113 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,360 Ooh, I just came up with that right now. 114 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:23,460 -[Mitch] That was good. That communicated a lot over there. -Wow. 115 00:06:23,460 --> 00:06:26,860 That, or I could take up, what, rhyming and just quit this [bleep] 116 00:06:26,860 --> 00:06:29,860 Okay, yeah. Just be a poet over there. 117 00:06:29,860 --> 00:06:32,760 So, right now, we've got our old pump back in place. 118 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:36,390 We're gonna tighten these up, and try and get us back running here. 119 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:38,560 Definitely, a lot of lost time here. 120 00:06:42,100 --> 00:06:43,590 -Yeah, buddy! -[Jordan] Okay. 121 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:44,760 That went pretty good. 122 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:47,660 The big problem, and why this pump came out, 123 00:06:47,660 --> 00:06:50,490 is because we knew the foot valve was having a problem. 124 00:06:50,500 --> 00:06:54,890 When we turned the pump off, we noticed that our water line wouldn't hold water in it. 125 00:06:54,900 --> 00:06:56,490 It would all bleed back out. 126 00:06:56,500 --> 00:07:00,090 And that valve down here should stop that, keep the water in the line, 127 00:07:00,100 --> 00:07:03,760 and it also allows the water pump to prime itself. 128 00:07:05,860 --> 00:07:08,560 I've got the plant turned off. I've got the bypass turned off. 129 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,660 We're trying to pull all the air out of the pipeline 130 00:07:11,660 --> 00:07:13,960 in order to start creating a vacuum. 131 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:16,060 [dramatic instrumental music] 132 00:07:16,060 --> 00:07:20,660 [narrator] The pump sucks water from the pond using a rotating impeller, 133 00:07:20,660 --> 00:07:24,890 creating a centrifugal force that pulls water in 134 00:07:24,900 --> 00:07:27,660 and pushes it uphill to Rocksand. 135 00:07:27,660 --> 00:07:30,090 Because the flip valve is broken, 136 00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:34,360 water has escaped and created an air pocket in the pump, 137 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:38,190 blocking the impeller and stopping water flow. 138 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:41,460 Mitch's plan, known as deadheading, 139 00:07:41,460 --> 00:07:43,160 is to max out the pump 140 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:47,390 and cause a vacuum powerful enough to suck water through the impeller 141 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,260 and push the air blockage up the pipe, 142 00:07:50,260 --> 00:07:53,660 allowing water to float to Rocksand. 143 00:07:53,660 --> 00:07:56,460 But if the pump is not turned down, 144 00:07:56,460 --> 00:08:00,690 and the wash plant's bypass not opened at the correct moment, 145 00:08:00,700 --> 00:08:06,630 the increased water pressure could blow the whole system. 146 00:08:09,100 --> 00:08:11,760 So, this is 100% what you never wanna do, 147 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,100 and that's deadhead your pump. 148 00:08:16,060 --> 00:08:17,960 You know, if we end up blowing the pipeline in half, 149 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:19,390 we're gonna have way bigger problems 150 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,860 than just what we already got going on. 151 00:08:24,300 --> 00:08:28,300 This right here is one of those "Don't try this at home." 152 00:08:30,660 --> 00:08:34,060 I can see that the lay flat hose is starting to collapse. 153 00:08:34,060 --> 00:08:35,990 That means that it's pulling the air out of it. 154 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,100 [tense instrumental music] 155 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:43,900 -[rumbling] -There it is! 156 00:08:46,860 --> 00:08:48,700 [whoops] We got her! 157 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:51,600 Hey! Hey! 158 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:53,800 Turn it down! 159 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,990 Hey, we got it there, but you can see just how much water pressure that was. 160 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,260 The bypass about blew out of the spot there. 161 00:09:08,260 --> 00:09:11,160 When that water hit, it had a lot of energy. 162 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:12,230 When your hand first went up, I was like, 163 00:09:12,230 --> 00:09:14,190 -"[bleep] he needs more water." -[Mitch] Oh, dude! 164 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:15,660 It about blew the bypass. 165 00:09:15,660 --> 00:09:18,160 [sweeping instrumental music] 166 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,260 All right, we're back in action. Appreciate it. 167 00:09:20,260 --> 00:09:22,300 -Thanks, man. -[Jordan] See ya, Mitch. 168 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,690 Right now, man, we just wanna get this plant back up and running. 169 00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:30,260 [sweeping music continues] 170 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:40,260 You ready to sluice, buddy? 171 00:09:40,260 --> 00:09:41,460 [Jordan on walkie-talkie] 172 00:09:41,460 --> 00:09:43,360 [sweeping music continues] 173 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:50,260 At the end of the day, if this wash plant isn't running, 174 00:09:50,260 --> 00:09:53,100 we're not getting anywhere near close to Parker's target. 175 00:09:58,860 --> 00:09:59,990 [narrator] Coming up... 176 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,190 Oh, my [bleep] 177 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,390 [narrator] ...a critical machine goes down. 178 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,460 [Taylor] This is an absolute catastrophe. 179 00:10:06,460 --> 00:10:09,390 [narrator] And Mitch's plan to keep Rocksand running... 180 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,490 Oh, come on! [bleep] 181 00:10:11,500 --> 00:10:13,090 [narrator] ...hits the skids. 182 00:10:13,100 --> 00:10:15,600 Not good, man. Not good at all. 183 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:18,960 [dramatic instrumental music] 184 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:22,860 [sweeping instrumental music] 185 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,090 Right now, getting the loader fleet up and running, 186 00:10:30,100 --> 00:10:32,990 so it's really important we get 'em all in fighting shape, 187 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,660 'cause they'll be running 24 hours a day. 188 00:10:35,660 --> 00:10:38,060 [narrator] In Parker's laydown yard, 189 00:10:38,060 --> 00:10:41,860 mechanic Taylor Matejka is working on a broken loader 190 00:10:41,860 --> 00:10:44,660 so the whole fleet will be operational. 191 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:46,660 Nacho. 192 00:10:46,660 --> 00:10:47,860 Hey, buddy? 193 00:10:47,860 --> 00:10:50,060 He's, like, the best therapy. 194 00:10:50,060 --> 00:10:54,290 I can't have a bad day when I jump in my truck and Nacho is just chilling. 195 00:10:54,300 --> 00:10:56,460 [tense instrumental music] 196 00:10:57,460 --> 00:10:59,260 [Adrian Truong on walkie-talkie] 197 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:01,360 Yeah, go ahead. 198 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:09,360 You said water in the fuel? 199 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,460 All right, I'll be right out. 200 00:11:13,460 --> 00:11:17,660 [narrator] A 25-mile drive away at Sulfur Creek, 201 00:11:17,660 --> 00:11:22,860 a 220 loader, nicknamed Arnold, is broken. 202 00:11:22,860 --> 00:11:27,200 And with no spare, wash plant Bob is shut down. 203 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:35,190 What's going on, buddy? 204 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:36,590 Code popped up. I shut it off right away. 205 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:38,390 All right. Well, give me a few minutes and we'll see what's happening. 206 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,490 -I'll hit you on the radio when I'm done. Cheers. -[Adrian] Sweet. Yeah. 207 00:11:41,500 --> 00:11:44,290 [narrator] With gold production at a standstill, 208 00:11:44,300 --> 00:11:46,790 Taylor must diagnose the problem 209 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:50,360 and get it back up and running as soon as possible. 210 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:52,260 [Taylor] Water in the fuel is no joke. 211 00:11:52,260 --> 00:11:54,790 Sometimes, it's just a fault with the sensor, 212 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,990 or sometimes, we have a bigger problem. 213 00:11:58,000 --> 00:11:59,960 This is called a water separator right here. 214 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:02,260 Any water that finds its way in the tank. 215 00:12:02,260 --> 00:12:03,590 Water is heavier than the fuel, 216 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:05,890 so it should fill the bowl with water, 217 00:12:05,900 --> 00:12:08,760 and the fuel would stay above it. 218 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:13,260 It's hard to tell what's going on here just by looking in there, 219 00:12:13,260 --> 00:12:15,660 but it doesn't really look like diesel. 220 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:18,100 There's a lot of it. 221 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:21,560 Oh, my [bleep] 222 00:12:23,460 --> 00:12:24,490 Smells like DEF. 223 00:12:24,500 --> 00:12:26,560 [tense instrumental music] 224 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:30,030 No [bleep] way. 225 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:35,800 Looks like somebody might have put DEF in the fuel tank, 'cause... 226 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:38,360 [sniffs] this is not water. 227 00:12:40,100 --> 00:12:41,860 And the only way you'd get DEF in the fuel system 228 00:12:41,860 --> 00:12:45,060 is if you poured DEF into the fuel tank. 229 00:12:46,700 --> 00:12:48,560 I wonder if this thing even runs. 230 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:50,090 [tense instrumental music] 231 00:12:50,100 --> 00:12:52,060 [bleep] 232 00:12:52,060 --> 00:12:55,490 [narrator] Diesel exhaust fluid, known as DEF, 233 00:12:55,500 --> 00:12:57,360 helps reduce emissions. 234 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:59,260 But if it gets into the engine, 235 00:12:59,260 --> 00:13:02,760 it can crystallize, causing catastrophic failure. 236 00:13:03,460 --> 00:13:04,990 [sniffing] 237 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,100 [Taylor] Oh, my [bleep] 238 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:12,760 It's a huge bummer that this thing can't be running right now. 239 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:15,460 We have nothing to feed Bob without Arnold running here. 240 00:13:15,460 --> 00:13:17,790 So, you know, time is money. 241 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,360 We got loaders at every plant right now. 242 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:22,160 We got one in the yard that's down. 243 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,860 We need this thing up and running, and this is a curveball. 244 00:13:24,860 --> 00:13:27,060 And an unnecessary one at that. 245 00:13:27,060 --> 00:13:29,560 [tense instrumental music] 246 00:13:29,560 --> 00:13:31,190 Here's where you fill fuel. 247 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:32,660 Here's where you fill DEF. 248 00:13:32,660 --> 00:13:35,860 Right? So, obviously, someone had this cap off, 249 00:13:35,860 --> 00:13:38,660 and they poured DEF in the fuel tank. 250 00:13:38,660 --> 00:13:42,360 We gotta talk to night shift and see and how we ended up in this predicament. 251 00:13:43,660 --> 00:13:47,760 What I'm gonna do is take the cover off the bottom, drain the tank. 252 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:49,600 We'll see what's coming out of the tank. 253 00:13:51,260 --> 00:13:52,260 [grunts] 254 00:13:57,560 --> 00:13:59,660 Oh, my [bleep] 255 00:13:59,660 --> 00:14:02,090 It's all [bleep] clear. 256 00:14:02,100 --> 00:14:04,160 How much DEF did they dump in this thing? 257 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:06,560 Oh, my [bleep] 258 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:12,460 You got a 350-liter tank here that was close to full. 259 00:14:12,460 --> 00:14:15,090 So, I drained 100 liters out. 260 00:14:15,100 --> 00:14:19,160 The evac tank in my truck should be capable of handling the rest. 261 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:21,260 [tense instrumental music] 262 00:14:26,860 --> 00:14:28,460 [motor starting] 263 00:14:32,460 --> 00:14:35,860 And you can see, the clearer stuff at the bottom is DEF. 264 00:14:35,860 --> 00:14:37,090 That's diesel. 265 00:14:37,100 --> 00:14:40,360 This is absolute catastrophe for the fuel system. 266 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:42,460 [dramatic instrumental music] 267 00:14:43,460 --> 00:14:45,060 I've still got my suction on it. 268 00:14:45,060 --> 00:14:47,290 So, I hope that filling it here 269 00:14:47,300 --> 00:14:51,460 can kind of flush the bottom of the tank, too. 270 00:14:51,460 --> 00:14:56,660 [narrator] After draining almost $700 worth of contaminated fuel, 271 00:14:56,660 --> 00:14:59,860 Taylor fills and drains the tank again 272 00:14:59,860 --> 00:15:03,360 in an attempt to flush the fuel system clean. 273 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,860 So, we flushed out the tank and I filled it up. 274 00:15:06,860 --> 00:15:11,060 So, what we know we have is clean fuel in the tank, for the most part. 275 00:15:11,060 --> 00:15:14,160 So, we know that the contaminated fuel 276 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:15,600 ran through these filters. 277 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:18,860 So, we're gonna change those. 278 00:15:18,860 --> 00:15:23,260 And then, all we have to worry about is what's in the fuel lines. 279 00:15:23,260 --> 00:15:24,960 There's a lot to worry about there, 280 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:26,860 'cause if DEF ran through the injectors, 281 00:15:26,860 --> 00:15:29,960 there's a very high chance that the injectors will fail. 282 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,360 If that happens, we're looking at 283 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:36,460 somewhere in the neighborhood of 15,000 bucks 284 00:15:36,460 --> 00:15:39,160 just from a lapse in judgment. 285 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,660 So, we'll see. 286 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:50,660 [Mitch] Hey, man, how's it going? 287 00:15:50,660 --> 00:15:52,560 [Tyler] We got two loaders down right now, so... 288 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:56,460 -Somebody put DEF in the diesel tank. -[Mitch] Oh, no. 289 00:15:56,460 --> 00:15:59,560 [narrator] Across the claim, Mitch is on his rounds, 290 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,760 checking in with mechanic Tyler Jankowski. 291 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:04,260 [Mitch] Little operator error there. 292 00:16:04,260 --> 00:16:06,490 Yeah, man. Not the time to do this. 293 00:16:06,500 --> 00:16:08,360 -No, that's not good at all. -No. 294 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:10,860 [Mitch] All right, let's go see what's going on with this thing. 295 00:16:10,860 --> 00:16:13,260 -Okay, awesome. Thank you. -Thanks, dude. Appreciate it. 296 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:19,890 [narrator] Determined to keep the operation running in Parker's absence, 297 00:16:19,900 --> 00:16:22,690 Mitch heads to the Sulfur Cut. 298 00:16:22,700 --> 00:16:25,360 You know, this time of the season, I think, is the toughest 299 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:27,690 because everybody is thinking about going home. 300 00:16:27,700 --> 00:16:30,690 This mining season, six months long. 301 00:16:30,700 --> 00:16:31,960 It's a lot of work to get done. 302 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:34,260 It's a lot of hours everybody's putting in out here. 303 00:16:34,260 --> 00:16:39,190 And if you lose focus for just a short period of time, 304 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:40,490 you know, something can go wrong. 305 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:42,660 But it all takes time and costs money. 306 00:16:43,460 --> 00:16:46,360 [tense instrumental music] 307 00:16:54,100 --> 00:16:55,260 [Taylor] What's going on? 308 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:57,760 [Mitch] What'd you find? 309 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:01,760 So, I have drained the whole tank. 310 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:03,460 I filled and drained again. 311 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,260 I've changed... changed the fuel filters, 312 00:17:07,260 --> 00:17:10,460 And right now, this is fuel coming directly out of the head. 313 00:17:10,460 --> 00:17:12,290 So, right now, you're just trying to purge everything 314 00:17:12,300 --> 00:17:13,860 -out of the fuel system. -[Taylor] Yeah. 315 00:17:13,860 --> 00:17:15,890 -Yeah. -And get everything out of the cylinder head. 316 00:17:15,900 --> 00:17:18,860 Not good, man. Not good at all. 317 00:17:18,860 --> 00:17:21,860 -I mean, last time, we had to do injectors in it. -[Taylor] Yeah. 318 00:17:21,860 --> 00:17:25,860 Yeah, and we don't have a set of injectors here, so let's cross our fingers. 319 00:17:25,860 --> 00:17:28,960 [Mitch] Well, man, I know every other loader's got a job to do out here, 320 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,990 so we need this thing running and get Bob back fired up. 321 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,390 This is the end of her, so we can fire it up here pretty quick. 322 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,290 It gets real expensive real quick. 323 00:17:36,300 --> 00:17:38,260 Not only the expense of fixing the machine, 324 00:17:38,260 --> 00:17:40,890 -but now we got a wash plant that's not running. -[Taylor] Yeah. 325 00:17:40,900 --> 00:17:43,160 All right, buddy. Well, let me know what you find out. 326 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:47,160 Yeah, sounds good. I'll get a hold of you when we get it running. 327 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:49,160 Taylor's doing everything he can here to get her fired back up. 328 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,260 We're gonna order some injectors and some spare parts. 329 00:17:51,260 --> 00:17:53,800 But, hopefully, we can get it running with what we got. 330 00:17:55,900 --> 00:17:57,760 [tense instrumental music] 331 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:00,460 [Taylor] Mitch is busy. He's got a lot going on. 332 00:18:00,460 --> 00:18:04,090 He's trying to manage a lot of people and a lot of equipment. 333 00:18:04,100 --> 00:18:07,190 And he's about as pleased as I am 334 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:09,760 to find out that there is DEF in the fuel tank. 335 00:18:10,860 --> 00:18:13,660 I don't think you can go overkill on this step. 336 00:18:13,660 --> 00:18:15,960 My tricep would disagree right now. 337 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:20,400 But if that [bleep] is in the head, we might be [bleep] 338 00:18:22,460 --> 00:18:27,290 Now, we gotta cross our fingers and hope that it runs nicely. 339 00:18:27,300 --> 00:18:32,060 [narrator] Now, Taylor has just one shot to fire up the loader. 340 00:18:32,900 --> 00:18:35,390 If the DEF is in the fuel injectors, 341 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:38,190 it'll cause irreversible damage 342 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:42,160 and wash plant Bob will stay shut down 343 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,200 until new parts arrive. 344 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:48,660 So... 345 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:50,490 here goes nothing. 346 00:18:50,500 --> 00:18:53,700 -[engine choking] -[tense instrumental music] 347 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:58,560 [engine running] 348 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:07,460 I'm really happy that it's running all right. 349 00:19:07,460 --> 00:19:11,360 Not to get too excited here, but I think we can fire up Bob. 350 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:13,460 [triumphant instrumental music] 351 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:17,590 -Hey, buddy. -[Adrian] Hey, man. We're all good to go? 352 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:19,360 Fingers crossed, man, you know? 353 00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:21,460 -[Adrian] Fingers crossed. -Everyone should learn a lesson from this one, too. 354 00:19:21,460 --> 00:19:23,390 -I gotta talk to the night shift, boys. -Sure. Yeah. 355 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:24,860 But this could have been a hell of a lot worse. 356 00:19:24,860 --> 00:19:26,460 But, yeah, let's get after it. 357 00:19:26,460 --> 00:19:28,090 -Awesome. Thanks, Taylor. -Cheers, bro. 358 00:19:28,100 --> 00:19:28,930 Take it easy. 359 00:19:28,930 --> 00:19:31,190 [whoops] Gonna go run the plant now, 360 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:35,060 fire up Bob, and then we're gonna get some dirt in the hopper. 361 00:19:35,060 --> 00:19:37,000 [sweeping instrumental music] 362 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,660 I'm jamming the hopper folds, trying to make up the lost time. 363 00:19:48,660 --> 00:19:53,000 I like getting more gold. More potential for a bonus for me. 364 00:19:55,460 --> 00:19:59,100 Right now, Bob is doing exactly what he needs to here... 365 00:20:01,260 --> 00:20:04,100 which is washing rocks and making gold. 366 00:20:06,300 --> 00:20:10,260 So, since it's motoring along, I'm gonna go keep making my rounds. 367 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:19,760 [dramatic instrumental music] 368 00:20:25,260 --> 00:20:28,390 Just call home and see how everybody's doing. 369 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:30,260 [soft instrumental music] 370 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:33,160 [boy on call] 371 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:34,590 [Mitch] Oh, hello. 372 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:36,560 [woman on call] 373 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:38,190 [Mitch] Oh, yeah, it does. 374 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:39,960 You're growing up quick. 375 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:41,990 [woman speaking] 376 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:43,590 [boy yelling] 377 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:45,160 [Mitch] Oh, really? 378 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:46,560 What's up with you, chick? 379 00:20:47,460 --> 00:20:48,860 What happened? 380 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,360 Whoa! Are you kidding me? You lost your two front teeth. What? 381 00:20:54,460 --> 00:20:55,860 [Mitch] Well, I'm glad you didn't. 382 00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:58,990 I'll be home pretty soon. 383 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:00,360 [woman speaking] 384 00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:01,190 [boy speaking] 385 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,060 [Mitch] Okay. Love you. 386 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:04,460 [woman speaking] 387 00:21:05,500 --> 00:21:06,760 [boy speaking] 388 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:09,060 Bye, baby. Be good for your mom, okay? 389 00:21:09,060 --> 00:21:10,660 -Bye. -[woman speaking] 390 00:21:10,660 --> 00:21:13,360 -Me, too. Bye. -[woman speaking] 391 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:16,660 [Mitch] You know, I've got a four-year-old and six-month-old, 392 00:21:16,660 --> 00:21:20,460 and you're up here for six months at a time. 393 00:21:20,460 --> 00:21:23,760 But at the end of the day, you gotta work. 394 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:25,460 I wanna try and get home as fast as possible. 395 00:21:25,460 --> 00:21:29,260 That's why I try and get as much work done each day as I possibly can. 396 00:21:29,260 --> 00:21:31,360 And that's really the motivator for me is, 397 00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:33,390 you know, if I can make that wash plant run a little faster, 398 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:37,560 if I can get through the cut a little bit quicker by being more efficient. 399 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:41,290 It's just that much sooner that I get to, you know, spend time with my kids. 400 00:21:41,300 --> 00:21:44,890 So, that's what it's all about. 401 00:21:44,900 --> 00:21:48,390 [narrator] Mine boss Parker Schnabel is away on business, 402 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:52,360 leaving foreman Mitch Blaschke holding down the fort. 403 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:55,690 [Mitch] There's more that has to be taken care of 404 00:21:55,700 --> 00:21:58,760 because he's not here doing what he normally does. 405 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:02,260 The biggest thing is just keeping morale up and keeping everybody focused. 406 00:22:02,260 --> 00:22:04,060 This time of the year is tough. 407 00:22:04,060 --> 00:22:07,290 And it's not gonna get any easier until the end of this season 408 00:22:07,300 --> 00:22:09,560 and everybody's heading home. 409 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:12,660 [narrator] Mitch is nearing the end of this season-long project, 410 00:22:12,660 --> 00:22:14,800 the 20-acre Long Cut. 411 00:22:16,900 --> 00:22:18,990 [Mitch] Now, at the start of the year, Parker said 412 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,160 the Long Cut has to be completed this season, 413 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:25,090 and he said, "I don't care what you have to do to make that happen. 414 00:22:25,100 --> 00:22:27,100 Just make sure it gets done." 415 00:22:28,660 --> 00:22:31,990 Now, the Long Cut has been pretty consistent. 416 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,460 It's been a pretty consistent pain in the ass since the start of it, 417 00:22:35,460 --> 00:22:38,160 and it's put up one hell of a fight here. 418 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:41,090 But If it was easy, it would have been done a long time ago. 419 00:22:41,100 --> 00:22:44,160 And that's the reason why the gold is still here for us to get. 420 00:22:45,460 --> 00:22:47,660 [narrator] After swapping out the water pump, 421 00:22:47,660 --> 00:22:50,560 Mitch is digging out more pay dirt. 422 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:54,090 [Mitch] What I'm doing right now is just going back along the edge. 423 00:22:54,100 --> 00:22:56,990 Originally, when we were putting the ditch in here, that edge was all frozen. 424 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,090 But now this has had time to thaw out, 425 00:22:59,100 --> 00:23:01,990 and it really generates quite a bit of material here. 426 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,860 So, you know, by going back in here and cleaning this up, 427 00:23:05,860 --> 00:23:09,560 you know, we're looking at several shifts of material for the wash plant. 428 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,490 We're gonna get this loaded in the trucks up to Rocksand. 429 00:23:12,500 --> 00:23:16,160 [dramatic instrumental music] 430 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:20,190 I'm really happy that I get to be a part of this operation. 431 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:25,090 [narrator] Driving the pay to the plant is rock truck driver Tayvin Peterson. 432 00:23:25,100 --> 00:23:27,790 [Tayvin] I actually really enjoy working for Mitch 433 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:31,460 because he seems to really care and he'll do anything that needs done. 434 00:23:31,460 --> 00:23:35,660 I'm just grateful that I have great operators surrounding me 435 00:23:35,660 --> 00:23:37,360 that know what they're doing. 436 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:39,400 [dramatic instrumental music] 437 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,960 Got lots of dirt to throw through the wash plant, still. 438 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:47,460 So, you know, we're out here going like jackrabbits, 439 00:23:47,460 --> 00:23:49,160 trying to get everything done. 440 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:54,160 [narrator] At Rocksand, newly-promoted loader operator John Kurtz 441 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,160 is running the plant solo for the first time, 442 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:01,790 feeding it 250 yards of pay dirt an hour. 443 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,860 [John] Running a loader is definitely a big step up responsibility-wise 444 00:24:05,860 --> 00:24:07,460 from a rock truck. 445 00:24:07,460 --> 00:24:11,160 Running a loader, you have about a million other things you gotta be watching. 446 00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:14,260 It's a good way to prove to yourself that you're reliable 447 00:24:14,260 --> 00:24:17,000 and someone that people can count on. 448 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:19,860 [dramatic instrumental music] 449 00:24:42,460 --> 00:24:44,960 Oh, that's a big [bleep]. Holy [bleep] 450 00:24:49,500 --> 00:24:52,660 Oh, my [bleep] feeder is clogged! 451 00:24:53,860 --> 00:24:55,960 [tense instrumental music] 452 00:24:58,100 --> 00:24:59,660 That's water! 453 00:25:00,260 --> 00:25:01,960 Oh, come on, you [bleep] 454 00:25:10,100 --> 00:25:14,760 I had a clog up in my feeder, so I had to run up and hit the breaker, 455 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:17,090 and then come hit the bypass 456 00:25:17,100 --> 00:25:18,460 before that explodes. 457 00:25:18,460 --> 00:25:20,560 [intriguing instrumental music] 458 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:25,260 [groans] 459 00:25:25,260 --> 00:25:26,360 Hey, Mitch. 460 00:25:27,260 --> 00:25:28,100 [Mitch on radio] 461 00:25:29,300 --> 00:25:31,460 [John on radio] 462 00:25:35,460 --> 00:25:37,360 [Mitch speaking] 463 00:25:37,360 --> 00:25:38,560 Copy that. 464 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:40,560 [tense instrumental music] 465 00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:47,260 Those rocks away at the bottom. 466 00:25:47,260 --> 00:25:51,060 So, it's blocking my dirt from hitting the feeder belt. 467 00:25:51,060 --> 00:25:54,000 I'm just trying to dig out the dirt, and I'm about... 468 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:55,890 not even halfway. 469 00:25:55,900 --> 00:25:59,490 [narrator] Large rocks have slipped through the grizzly bars 470 00:25:59,500 --> 00:26:02,160 and clogged the bottom of the hopper feeder. 471 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:04,260 [John] Oh, there's a big [bleep] 472 00:26:04,260 --> 00:26:06,090 [grunts] 473 00:26:06,100 --> 00:26:11,560 [narrator] To clear it, John will have to dig out a mountain of dirt by hand. 474 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:14,230 [John] I'm hoping once Mitch sees this, 475 00:26:14,230 --> 00:26:19,260 that he'll understand my situation and won't have to get thrown back in the truck, 476 00:26:19,260 --> 00:26:22,690 'cause I will be very upset if that's the case, 477 00:26:22,700 --> 00:26:24,760 [tense instrumental music] 478 00:26:26,260 --> 00:26:28,000 Well, there's the man of the hour. 479 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:30,790 What's up, man? 480 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,160 I got a big old boulder 481 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,560 -right at the bottom of my feed belt. -[Mitch] Yeah. 482 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,660 And it's just causing the back end of the feeder to clog up, 483 00:26:37,660 --> 00:26:39,660 and where the front end has nothing. 484 00:26:39,660 --> 00:26:42,460 So, I have a feeling we'll have to, like, shovel more, 485 00:26:42,460 --> 00:26:44,000 -or something. -[Mitch] Let's have a look. 486 00:26:46,460 --> 00:26:47,630 Oh, yeah. 487 00:26:47,630 --> 00:26:50,260 Well, let's go ahead and get the plant back shaking... 488 00:26:50,260 --> 00:26:52,460 -[John] Okay. -and all the belts going. We'll turn the water on 489 00:26:52,460 --> 00:26:55,160 -and we'll start purging out what we can here. -[John] Okay. 490 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:57,190 [intriguing instrumental music] 491 00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:01,090 What happens is these big rocks get wedged in there. 492 00:27:01,100 --> 00:27:04,090 Once that happens, the material builds up, 493 00:27:04,100 --> 00:27:06,000 -causes a lot of chaos. -[machine starts] 494 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:09,760 You know, John's one of our new loader operators, 495 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,090 but he's doing a really good job up here. 496 00:27:12,100 --> 00:27:15,260 And this is the best thing to do when a problem like this happens, 497 00:27:15,260 --> 00:27:16,490 is call for help. 498 00:27:16,500 --> 00:27:17,960 John did the hard work. 499 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:21,860 So, we're gonna get this thing cleared out here and get it back rolling. 500 00:27:21,860 --> 00:27:25,260 Every minute we're down here is just gold we're not gonna have at the end of the week. 501 00:27:25,260 --> 00:27:29,160 [narrator] Mitch thinks John has already cleared enough rocks 502 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:33,560 to turn on the feeder and dislodge the remaining dirt. 503 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:39,690 -[feeder starts] -[John] There we go. 504 00:27:39,700 --> 00:27:41,760 [Mitch] Let's let it just feed out. 505 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:43,760 [John] I think we're good. 506 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:45,760 [Mitch] Let her clear out here. 507 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:50,860 Oh, yeah, she's dropping down nicely now. 508 00:27:50,860 --> 00:27:54,760 We're looking really good right now. The material is dropping off the back wall. 509 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:57,160 Got the big rocks removed. Everything's flowing now. 510 00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,490 Time to throw dirt at it. 511 00:27:59,500 --> 00:28:02,890 [John] That was my first kind of shut down I've had. 512 00:28:02,900 --> 00:28:05,090 Glad that Mitch was happy about everything, 513 00:28:05,100 --> 00:28:07,760 and it wasn't too big of an issue. 514 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:11,090 I mean, I had most of it shoveled out to where it would just slide all out 515 00:28:11,100 --> 00:28:13,790 when he showed up and fired the plant up for me. 516 00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:16,660 So, I'm glad he was in good spirits about it. 517 00:28:16,660 --> 00:28:21,700 Definitely gonna have a couple of beers after work, though. [bleep] 518 00:28:24,100 --> 00:28:25,990 [Mitch] Well, we got the plant back up and running. 519 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,490 Pretty soon, he'll understand what he has to do in those situations 520 00:28:29,500 --> 00:28:31,560 and be able to take care of it on his own. 521 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,160 You know, when I look at all the seasons I've been up here mining 522 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:37,690 and where it all started, 523 00:28:37,700 --> 00:28:39,890 you know, I was the guy up here pulling wrenches. 524 00:28:39,900 --> 00:28:41,990 And when I'd get everything up and going, 525 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,890 I'd jump in machinery and, you know, help move the dirt, as well. 526 00:28:44,900 --> 00:28:49,460 And I think that really helps me a lot with, you know, being the foreman now, 527 00:28:49,460 --> 00:28:54,360 because I've fixed the machinery, I've operated the machinery. 528 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:55,990 I've run the wash plants. 529 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:58,790 You know, mistakes and lessons that you've learned in the past 530 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:00,290 help you in the future. 531 00:29:00,300 --> 00:29:03,660 Definitely still learning things new every day. 532 00:29:03,660 --> 00:29:05,990 With as much as Parker throws at us, 533 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:09,490 it's constantly a challenge of trying to do more with less. 534 00:29:09,500 --> 00:29:11,560 [dramatic instrumental music] 535 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:20,660 Well, the Long Cut is not so long anymore. 536 00:29:20,660 --> 00:29:21,990 We almost got this. 537 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:23,760 [rumbling] 538 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:26,100 -[engine shuts off] -What was that? 539 00:29:27,100 --> 00:29:29,900 Oh, that stick cylinder is walking out. 540 00:29:31,860 --> 00:29:33,660 You've gotta be [bleep] kidding me! 541 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:37,460 Yo, Taylor, you got a copy, man? 542 00:29:37,460 --> 00:29:38,860 [Taylor on radio] 543 00:29:38,860 --> 00:29:40,600 [Mitch] This thing is [bleep] 544 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:47,000 [dramatic instrumental music] 545 00:29:54,700 --> 00:29:59,590 Uh, Mitch hit me on the radio and said that he was running this hoe, 546 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:02,000 and the pin popped out of the stick cylinder. 547 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:05,090 There it is. 548 00:30:05,100 --> 00:30:11,060 [narrator] In the Long Cut, foreman Mitch Blaschke is facing another breakdown. 549 00:30:11,060 --> 00:30:14,890 The 480 digging pay is sidelined. 550 00:30:14,900 --> 00:30:19,490 It's a race against the clock for mechanic Taylor to get it fixed 551 00:30:19,500 --> 00:30:22,360 before Rocksand runs out of pay. 552 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:24,460 It's a good thing Mitch caught this in time. 553 00:30:24,460 --> 00:30:25,990 Had the pin walked all the way out 554 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:27,990 while he was loading the truck or something, 555 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:30,260 the results could have been a lot different. 556 00:30:30,260 --> 00:30:33,660 You know, it risks damaging the truck that it's loading, 557 00:30:33,660 --> 00:30:35,160 it risks damaging the excavator, 558 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:37,560 and it could injure the person sitting in the rock truck 559 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,560 if this stick were to fall down uncontrollably. 560 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,860 I brought some steel out with me, so I'll just 561 00:30:44,860 --> 00:30:48,090 fashion something that keeps that pin from wanting to walk out again. 562 00:30:48,100 --> 00:30:50,260 It can't go that way. It can only go this way. 563 00:30:50,260 --> 00:30:53,060 So, if I weld a chunk of steel on the back side of it, 564 00:30:53,060 --> 00:30:56,060 it's probably the fastest way to get this thing back up and running. 565 00:30:56,060 --> 00:30:58,100 [dramatic instrumental music] 566 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:14,060 Voila! 567 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:20,690 So, we got the pin back in. 568 00:31:20,700 --> 00:31:23,560 So, now, I'm just gonna roll the stick in 569 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,830 so that I can weld this while I'm standing. 570 00:31:29,260 --> 00:31:33,090 Welding a little tab on there won't be nearly as strong as something on the back side. 571 00:31:33,100 --> 00:31:36,190 So, by welding a big piece of steel on the backside, 572 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:38,990 the pin can't go that way and the pin can't go this way. 573 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:40,460 Problem solved. 574 00:31:40,460 --> 00:31:43,460 So, yeah, the best thing to do is just smack a big slab of steel on there, 575 00:31:43,460 --> 00:31:44,860 weld it up nice and solid. 576 00:31:44,860 --> 00:31:48,160 And we'll grease the ever living piss out of this thing, 577 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:49,400 and then send it back to work. 578 00:31:51,300 --> 00:31:53,560 We'll just use the thickest piece possible. 579 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:55,660 Thicker equals stronger. 580 00:31:55,660 --> 00:31:57,760 [intriguing instrumental music] 581 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:15,260 We have a bit of dissimilar metal 582 00:32:15,260 --> 00:32:17,260 with the pin versus just the mild steel. 583 00:32:17,260 --> 00:32:19,160 But that won't make a difference right now. 584 00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:23,860 I know that I can weld this solid enough to the pin that it ain't going anywhere. 585 00:32:31,060 --> 00:32:32,790 Retainer is welded on. 586 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:36,490 Now, I'm just running it a little bit to make sure that nothing's binding up. 587 00:32:36,500 --> 00:32:38,560 Seems like everything is going smooth. 588 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,160 So, Mitch is rolling up right now. 589 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:42,500 Perfect timing. 590 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:50,800 Oh, it's moving! 591 00:32:51,260 --> 00:32:52,760 Oh, yeah. 592 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:56,090 -How's it going, buddy? -[Taylor] Good, bro. Just in time. 593 00:32:56,100 --> 00:32:58,760 -Are we ready to go back to work? -Yes, sir. 594 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:00,960 She can spin. She can twist. 595 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:04,360 -She can't come out either side. -[Mitch] Perfect. 596 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:07,160 Well, we'll get her back in action here and start hauling some pay dirt. 597 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:09,660 Been [bleep] happening all day. Hopefully, this is the last of it. 598 00:33:09,660 --> 00:33:11,060 -All right, buddy. -Thanks, man. 599 00:33:11,060 --> 00:33:13,100 [sweeping instrumental music] 600 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:32,260 Right now, we're at Rocksand, just doing a cleanup here, 601 00:33:32,260 --> 00:33:35,190 And it's one of those things that, when we're short on people, 602 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:38,260 everybody's just gotta jump in to get the job done. 603 00:33:38,260 --> 00:33:40,160 [narrator] As the shift nears its end, 604 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:45,760 it's all hands on deck for a cleanup at Rocksand in the Long Cut. 605 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,560 Real important here that the cleanup gets done, 606 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,490 the gold gets down there so it can be processed. 607 00:33:52,500 --> 00:33:54,960 And that's when we get to see our end result. 608 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:56,960 And all the hard work we've been doing, 609 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:58,800 hopefully, pays off with what's in there. 610 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:02,860 [narrator] Mitch needs to get the cleanup done quickly 611 00:34:02,860 --> 00:34:06,600 so Rocksand can fire back up for the night shift. 612 00:34:07,460 --> 00:34:09,490 Right now, we got Justin in here helping. 613 00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:11,890 He's normally running the loader, running the wash plant. 614 00:34:11,900 --> 00:34:13,360 We've got Nikki out here helping. 615 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,660 She's normally at camp, helping in the kitchen. 616 00:34:15,660 --> 00:34:18,060 We've got Tatiana, who's been not only out here 617 00:34:18,060 --> 00:34:21,490 doing the cleanup on the plant, going back, helping Chris, 618 00:34:21,500 --> 00:34:24,460 and then also jumping in a loader wherever else is needed. 619 00:34:24,460 --> 00:34:27,260 You've been very busy this season, Tatiana, 620 00:34:27,260 --> 00:34:28,560 with three wash plants most of the year. 621 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:33,890 Oh, yeah. We had six... averaging six cleanups a week 622 00:34:33,900 --> 00:34:35,860 when the three plants are running. 623 00:34:35,860 --> 00:34:39,060 So, yeah, it's been busy. 624 00:34:39,060 --> 00:34:43,990 [narrator] With the season's end in sight and the Long Cut nearly mined out, 625 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,990 each cleanup becomes more critical than the last. 626 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:52,090 [Mitch] So, you can see here, we've got the gold laying on the steel here. 627 00:34:52,100 --> 00:34:55,060 So, what we're gonna do here is put everything into one tank, 628 00:34:55,060 --> 00:34:58,360 and then we're gonna send all this material to the cleanup room. 629 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:01,160 And they're gonna process it and we'll see what we got here. 630 00:35:03,500 --> 00:35:06,090 [man] I'll pull this out if you want to grab the excavator, 631 00:35:06,100 --> 00:35:07,860 -put it on this truck. -Yeah. 632 00:35:07,860 --> 00:35:09,900 [soft instrumental music] 633 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:23,090 Right now, we're just lifting the concentrate tank away from the wash plant. 634 00:35:23,100 --> 00:35:26,190 [narrator] All the gold concentrate from Rocksand 635 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:28,860 is transferred to the metal tank, 636 00:35:28,860 --> 00:35:32,290 making it the most important element of the cleanup. 637 00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:36,060 Last thing you wanna do is dump this tub out. This has all the gold in it. 638 00:35:36,060 --> 00:35:38,860 That wouldn't make anybody very happy around here. 639 00:35:38,860 --> 00:35:40,860 So, we wanna be careful getting this on the truck. 640 00:35:40,860 --> 00:35:42,560 We got Chris out here picking it up. 641 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:45,460 He's gonna take it back and start the cleanup. 642 00:35:48,460 --> 00:35:50,860 Right there. Perfect. 643 00:35:50,860 --> 00:35:56,360 And right there, we have, you know, a week's worth of stripping ground, sluicing. 644 00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:57,660 We're gonna go see what we got. 645 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:04,600 [dramatic instrumental music] 646 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:09,260 Right now, we're just heading down to check in with Alec and Liam, 647 00:36:09,260 --> 00:36:11,460 and see how the rebuild on Slucifer is going. 648 00:36:11,460 --> 00:36:15,560 [narrator] A stalwart of Parker's operation for eight years, 649 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:19,160 producing 28,000 ounces of gold, 650 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:21,960 this season, wash plant Slucifer 651 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,190 is sidelined for extensive repairs. 652 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:26,360 [Mitch] How's the rebuild going? 653 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:27,990 Checking on stuff and things. 654 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,560 So, what do you got left on the big rebuild here, Alec? 655 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:33,190 [Alec] This bearing on this side, and then hang the counterweights 656 00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:35,760 and motor pulley sheave on the other side. 657 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:38,260 Put the side protectors in on the bottom deck. 658 00:36:38,260 --> 00:36:39,960 We got the top ones in this morning. 659 00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:43,160 And then, really, the shakers all good to be put back together. 660 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:47,160 So, we are looking pretty good to have it all wrapped up by the end of the season then? 661 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:48,760 Looking in good shape for next year. 662 00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:50,090 I think so many people don't realize 663 00:36:50,100 --> 00:36:52,290 just how abrasive the rock and sand is. 664 00:36:52,300 --> 00:36:54,560 But this thing, when you need to get through a lot of dirt in a hurry, 665 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:55,860 -it'll do it. -[Alec] Yeah. 666 00:36:55,860 --> 00:36:58,660 You guys stay after it. We'll get this ready for some more gold. 667 00:36:58,660 --> 00:37:00,100 -Sounds good. -All right. Have a good one. 668 00:37:03,260 --> 00:37:04,400 [dramatic instrumental music] 669 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:15,260 [Mitch] Right now, we're just headed down to the gold room to have a check in 670 00:37:15,260 --> 00:37:17,590 on the cleanup from Rocksand with Chris, 671 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:20,090 see if he's got any results for us yet. 672 00:37:20,100 --> 00:37:23,760 And this is gonna let us know how that ground's looking that we're currently sluicing, 673 00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:27,360 and we can make adjustments if necessary. 674 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:30,460 Let's go see what's up with Chris here. 675 00:37:30,460 --> 00:37:33,690 [narrator] Schnabel claim foreman Mitch Blaschke 676 00:37:33,700 --> 00:37:37,060 has battled breakdowns, plant shutdowns, 677 00:37:37,060 --> 00:37:39,960 and operator errors all day. 678 00:37:40,660 --> 00:37:43,560 Now, after a cleanup at Rocksand, 679 00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:48,260 it's time to see if he succeeded in keeping the gold coming in. 680 00:37:49,660 --> 00:37:51,090 [Mitch] So, right now, we're down here at the gold room. 681 00:37:51,100 --> 00:37:53,560 Now, we have the old gold room that we had 682 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:55,560 when we were mining down on Tony's ground, 683 00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:57,490 and we also have the gold room here 684 00:37:57,500 --> 00:38:00,060 that was on the property when Parker bought Dominion. 685 00:38:00,060 --> 00:38:02,760 Now, Chris has so much going on and so many processes, 686 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:05,700 he actually uses both of these buildings to get this gold cleaned. 687 00:38:07,460 --> 00:38:08,560 Chris! 688 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:10,060 [Chris] Hey, Mitchell! 689 00:38:10,060 --> 00:38:12,200 [dramatic instrumental music] 690 00:38:16,060 --> 00:38:19,360 So, we're in the original gold room here of Dominion. 691 00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:21,990 And, you know, Chris has totally revamped all this. 692 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:23,290 He's brought in our stuff. 693 00:38:23,300 --> 00:38:26,090 This is a trommel that's made by the same company 694 00:38:26,100 --> 00:38:29,660 that made Rocksand and made Slucifer. 695 00:38:29,660 --> 00:38:32,990 This machine here was built by MSI. 696 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:36,190 So, this is Freddy Dodge, going way back to the Hoffmans, 697 00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:38,260 is where this all started from. 698 00:38:38,260 --> 00:38:41,060 So, you know, Chris uses different processes, 699 00:38:41,060 --> 00:38:42,660 depending on how the gold is. 700 00:38:42,660 --> 00:38:45,660 But right now, we're washing everything out of the tank. 701 00:38:45,660 --> 00:38:47,360 This is right from the wash plant 702 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:49,260 into the clean up trommel here. 703 00:38:49,260 --> 00:38:52,690 And this is gonna get the gold concentrated for him here pretty quickly 704 00:38:52,700 --> 00:38:55,060 From there, he just keeps refining it. 705 00:38:55,060 --> 00:38:57,490 Depending on how the gold looks, what type it is, 706 00:38:57,500 --> 00:39:01,060 might send it through this, it might go right over to the next gold room. 707 00:39:01,060 --> 00:39:02,960 But Chris has an awesome system here. 708 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:04,560 He's perfected it over the years, 709 00:39:04,560 --> 00:39:07,960 and certainly knows how to get that gold clean. 710 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:10,560 [upbeat instrumental music] 711 00:39:13,460 --> 00:39:15,060 Any gold in it? 712 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:21,860 [Chris] Looks like a good one. 713 00:39:22,860 --> 00:39:23,760 Yeah. 714 00:39:24,660 --> 00:39:27,260 If I let it run like this, 715 00:39:27,260 --> 00:39:29,260 do you see where it's starting to expose itself 716 00:39:29,260 --> 00:39:31,100 -on the sides now? -[Mitch] Oh, yeah. 717 00:39:32,460 --> 00:39:35,360 So, we're seeing gold all throughout this material here, 718 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:36,730 not just sitting on top. 719 00:39:36,730 --> 00:39:40,860 But, as Chris is washing it down, you know, we're seeing that gold 720 00:39:40,860 --> 00:39:44,460 working its way down into the cleanup trommel. 721 00:39:44,460 --> 00:39:46,390 That's what it's all about. This is what we're here to do. 722 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:48,790 All the work, all the dirt that gets moved, 723 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:50,590 all the hours of the wash plant running, 724 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:54,260 it all is about, you know, what is inside this tote right here. 725 00:39:54,260 --> 00:39:57,360 -[Chris] Lots of gold in it. -[Mitch] Yup. All right 726 00:39:57,360 --> 00:39:59,100 Cool, man. Have a good one. 727 00:40:00,860 --> 00:40:04,990 [narrator] With gold in the box, it's time to celebrate, 728 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:06,660 Yukon style. 729 00:40:06,660 --> 00:40:08,360 [Mitch] Well, about time to go have some fun? 730 00:40:08,360 --> 00:40:09,290 [Taylor] Yeah, what are we doing? 731 00:40:09,300 --> 00:40:10,360 [Mitch] You got the paintball gun? 732 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:11,860 Yeah, we got the paintball guns! 733 00:40:11,860 --> 00:40:15,460 -Bust 'em out. -Just got a fresh batch of balls. So, yeah... 734 00:40:15,460 --> 00:40:17,560 [all laughing] 735 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:22,260 We always keep our balls fresh here in the yard, and today is no different. 736 00:40:22,260 --> 00:40:24,590 The guys up here like having a little bit of fun at the end of the day 737 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:27,060 with a little paintball action. 738 00:40:27,060 --> 00:40:30,760 Any moving targets are good. Anyone in high vis is a target. 739 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:32,060 Just kidding. 740 00:40:32,060 --> 00:40:34,200 -Yeah, we're gonna hit the hob, eh? -[Tyler] Go for it. 741 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:36,560 [Taylor] Oh, yeah. 742 00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:39,460 So, when you come down to the yard and you notice that there's, like, 743 00:40:39,460 --> 00:40:42,090 all these splotches on the equipment or the trailers, 744 00:40:42,100 --> 00:40:46,390 that's the mechanics taking out a little aggression at the end of the day. 745 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:47,830 Have a go, Mitch. 746 00:40:47,830 --> 00:40:49,860 -So, shoot for the hub on the right one? -[Taylor] Yeah. Shoot the hub. 747 00:40:49,860 --> 00:40:50,960 All right. 748 00:40:51,460 --> 00:40:52,660 -Oi! -[Tyler] Oh, yeah. 749 00:40:52,660 --> 00:40:54,090 -There you go. -[Tyler] Guy's a natural. 750 00:40:54,100 --> 00:40:55,860 I'm gonna hit the right tire. 751 00:40:55,860 --> 00:40:57,160 -[gun rattles] -Oh! 752 00:40:57,160 --> 00:40:59,060 -[Mitch] Oh, no! -Oh, what a buzzkill! 753 00:40:59,060 --> 00:41:00,990 -I'm out of CO2. -[Mitch laughing] 754 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:04,100 [sweeping instrumental music] 755 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:10,100 You know, and that wraps up a day on the mine site here. 756 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:14,360 You know, it takes everybody we've got on this team 757 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:15,790 to move the amount of dirt that we do in a season 758 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:18,460 and get the gold that we've got by the end of the year. 759 00:41:18,460 --> 00:41:22,860 So, next, we're gonna go grab some dinner, take a shower, go to bed. 760 00:41:22,860 --> 00:41:25,790 Wake up and do it all over again. 761 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:27,860 [sweeping instrumental music] 761 00:41:28,305 --> 00:42:28,230 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm