Skip to playerSkip to main content
NovaStream
  • 8 hours ago
Transcript
00:00George Wright and Scott Lomu are deep in the jungle of Ghana on their gold claim.
00:10They only have one man to protect them, their security guard Ernest.
00:14But just as they close in on the gold, their neighbor shows up.
00:20He has a machete, and he's furious.
00:30Ernest!
00:33Hey! Hey!
00:51Three weeks ago, Scott Lomu and George Wright arrived in Ghana to mine for gold.
00:56The guys had expected to send thousands of dollars home by now, but they haven't found any gold.
01:04Scott is feeling the pressure.
01:06What are you talking about another site? We have a site.
01:08We fought tooth and nail to get our excavator onto that site. You're talking about going to another site?
01:13Yeah, dude.
01:13Are we willing to risk that? Are we willing to risk the last money we have?
01:16Because if we don't find gold, we don't have money to buy the next.
01:19Are we willing to risk it?
01:19Yeah.
01:19Did you just ask me that?
01:20Yeah, I did.
01:21Scott, I'm sorry. I thought I was out here with someone that was willing to risk everything.
01:24Oh, I have risked everything.
01:25Doesn't matter, Scott. We have an excavator sitting on the site right now.
01:28No, our wives were expecting money two weeks ago, three weeks ago. You haven't sent them anything. What have you sent your wife?
01:35Same amount you have.
01:36Exactly.
01:37Nothing.
01:37Nothing.
01:38Finding gold in Ghana may be Scott and George's last chance to climb out of a mountain of debt.
01:46Three weeks ago, they left their families at home in Utah.
01:50I love you.
01:51I like him.
01:52This has to be it because it's too hard on the kids.
02:00Just a couple of years ago, the guys made millions in real estate.
02:04A few years ago, almost anything that you did in real estate made you money, and we made a lot of money.
02:09But then, the bottom fell out of the housing market.
02:13Between my debt of $500,000, $600,000, and you throw Scott's debt in there, which puts us above a million dollars, you know, we need to pull out 500 ounces of gold immediately.
02:24Scott and George have hatched an unusual plan to pay off their mortgages and debts.
02:28We picked Ghana because everywhere you go in this entire area, you'll find gold.
02:34They've secured a gold claim in the Ashanti Belt, a region in Ghana in the midst of a modern-day gold rush.
02:40The area holds an estimated 125 million ounces of gold worth over $200 billion.
02:48George and I have studied this out, and we can get out of this hole in three months.
02:53But when they arrived in Ghana three weeks ago, they were met with a nasty surprise.
03:01These guys are here pillaging our ground. It's all dug up.
03:05They lost their gold claim to Chinese miners, forcing them to make a deal for a new claim with miners Chris Chandler and Harcourt Singh.
03:14We have mortgage vendors, too. We've got to get in the dirt right now.
03:17Chris and Singh want 25 percent.
03:18Let's do it.
03:19Let's do it, man.
03:23Scott and George are way behind. They need gold immediately.
03:28We have an excavator right there. We can start digging today.
03:31We will find gold, and that's my point.
03:33We will find gold, and we will get that gold home to our families.
03:37That's what we're here for, Scott.
03:38There's gold in the ground. We will find that gold.
03:44Okay. I'll go with you.
03:46Hand in hand. That's what we're here. This. Hand in hand. We'll do it.
03:49Okay.
03:49And let's get digging with our excavator.
03:51Yeah, let's go do that right now.
03:5425 miles from the town of Dunkwa is the guy's new 25-acre ramasso gold claim.
04:00The claim is in the heart of Ghana's jungle, but in the middle of the rainy season, the site is flooded.
04:10The water smells. It stinks more than anything. And then it gets real cold and real warm in spots, and I don't know why.
04:17I don't want to know why.
04:19So far, so good. No problem for the excavator.
04:22Neighboring gold claims have lost equipment to the flooding.
04:25George wades through the murky water to check on their excavator.
04:31It's the only piece of mining equipment they have on site.
04:34If it's underwater, they will have no chance of paying off the $1 million they owe back home.
04:44So far, so good. No problem for the excavator.
04:49I got something on me.
04:53I got something on me.
04:54I got leeches on me.
04:59Oh, I got them everywhere.
05:00The flood water is chock full of leeches.
05:05Going for the blood.
05:07Incredible. Just incredible.
05:12Scott arrives with their foreman, Victor Kapah.
05:15Victor. Right here, my man.
05:17Victor will help the guys run the mine.
05:20Four days ago, the guys nearly lost their 330B excavator as they drove it through the swamp onto the claim.
05:27Scott is worried. The engine may have been damaged.
05:30If it's anything that we can't fix out here, then we've blown another day.
05:36Been here a month and haven't moved an ounce of dirt.
05:41Let's hope they can work some magic here.
05:44Claim owner Chris Chandler gets 25% of any gold the guys find.
05:49To get them started, he has loaned the guys his excavator driver, Bhushan Kumar.
05:58Ready.
05:59So we're about to find out.
06:03All right, we're going?
06:08Huh.
06:16Nice. Nice.
06:17I think it's the first time in a month something actually went the way it was supposed to go.
06:26As simple as it sounds, starting an excavator, that's a huge win today.
06:31It's great news. This is huge.
06:32We need to have our equipment running all the time.
06:35This is a good way to start this day.
06:37The next step is just to get this machine into the jungle and start opening up our pit.
06:41Claim owner Chris has test reports.
06:45They indicate where the gold should be.
06:48And we're going to pinpoint exactly the entry point of our concession with the excavator.
06:55Test reports indicate that there could be 1.5 million in gold on an estimated 8-acre area of the Ramasso claim.
07:03Right now, the gold-rich land is flooded, but Scott and George do have one acre of dry land to dig.
07:11This is huge for us right now.
07:13We're standing right on the edge of our site.
07:15We're digging some dirt.
07:17I mean, this is our first hole right here.
07:18This is where it begins.
07:19After almost a month of hustling in Ghana, Scott and George can finally start digging for gold.
07:26Gold, they hope, will turn their lives around.
07:38We're struggling.
07:41Push on!
07:44Everything okay?
07:45It's not one thing, man.
07:51It is another.
07:52It just never stops out here, man.
07:54It's just so frustrating.
07:57Excavator driver Bushan assesses the problem.
08:02The injector hose?
08:04The injector hose is a return pipe.
08:08But this machine now has a return pipe.
08:10I understand.
08:11We don't have time to be down.
08:12We need to be operating, running.
08:13Machines need to be going.
08:14If it were within my power to get this excavator started and running smooth, I would do it.
08:19But it's just, I'm completely out of my depth.
08:22Claim owners Chris and Singh have only loaned out their best mechanic, Bushan, for the day.
08:27And without a working excavator, Scott and George can't get down to the gold.
08:32We rely on good mechanics like Bushan to come here.
08:35But ultimately, you know, need someone that can be there all the time with us, making sure our machines are staying healthy.
08:40After an hour in the 90-degree heat, Bushan identifies the problem.
08:49And it's not a quick fix.
08:54Scott and George need a new park to repair the 330B excavator's air pump.
08:58What do you want to do?
09:00What do you want to do?
09:01A little bit.
09:02Scott, let's go.
09:05The guys are running out of time and money.
09:08To get the gold and begin sending money home, they will have to fix their excavator.
09:13And without Bushan's help.
09:15That night, Scott and George call a top mechanic they know from back home in Utah, Travis Fotheringham.
09:28Travis?
09:29Yeah.
09:30Hey.
09:30Hey.
09:31What's up, man?
09:32How you doing?
09:33Good.
09:33Good, good.
09:34Good to see you.
09:35Good to see you guys.
09:36How's it going?
09:37Yeah, it's going, man.
09:38The truth is, we could really use your help out here.
09:41Is that something you'll be willing to do?
09:43What kind of help do you guys need?
09:45What shape is your equipment in right now?
09:47It's in pretty bad shape, man.
09:49One of the things that we've learned out here is that if we don't have an experienced full-time mechanic on site, then we're dead in the water.
09:57And so we need you.
09:59The payoff could be great.
10:01We're out here, away from our families as well, because we know this is a great way for us to really change our lives.
10:07And this same opportunity is here for you.
10:10So, Travis, are you in?
10:20I'm in.
10:21Let's do this.
10:24I want to get this done with you guys.
10:26It's good to hear.
10:27All right.
10:28And we'll see you in a few days, bud.
10:30Welcome to the jungle.
10:31The next day, Scott and George head out to get their second key piece of mining machinery.
10:41You know where to go?
10:42Yeah.
10:43The next step is to get our trommel to the site.
10:47And we have to see today if it's even physically possible.
10:52A trommel washes the gold from the dirt.
10:55We can dig a pit.
10:56We can get all the gravel ready.
10:58But if we can't wash it, we can't get gold.
11:01I mean, it's just that simple.
11:02Scott and George have mined for gold in Ghana before.
11:07Other than their 330B excavator, their key piece of equipment was a trommel.
11:12That's just a beautiful sound, hearing a trommel running.
11:16With their blue trommel, the guys found $300,000 of gold.
11:21It has been 11 months since it last ran.
11:23And it's time to transport it to the Ramazzo Claim.
11:28Scott and George head to the river where they left the trommel.
11:32All this water is a really bad sign.
11:36Weeks of rain has them nervous.
11:38This road gets lower and lower, you know, as we get to the river.
11:41So I'm just worried that the river has come up too high.
11:47Just beyond this bend is the road.
11:53The last quarter mile of dirt road to the trommel is under 7 feet of water.
12:02We can't move our wash machine until this water goes down.
12:05This is horrible.
12:07I mean, look how far out these guys are in the canoe.
12:09There's no way this trommel's coming out.
12:11Scott and George's Ramazzo claim may hold $1.5 million of gold.
12:17But the machine that washes the gold is stranded on an island.
12:21There is no way to make our site run efficiently without a trommel.
12:25We'd be out here for years before we even broke even if we didn't have a trommel.
12:28We have to have it.
12:30But right now, that trommel isn't going anywhere.
12:35Coming up, new mechanic Travis arrives and is hit with severe culture shock.
12:40I've never seen anything like this in my life.
12:42I've never even seen this in the movies.
12:44And in the middle of a mad scramble to get their first gold, chaos erupts on the Ramazzo claim.
12:51Give me the blade.
12:52Four weeks after arriving in Ghana to gold mine, Scott Lomu and George Wright had expected to send thousands of dollars home.
13:10But they've had one problem after another.
13:14We don't have the time or the money or the patience or the financial ability to go find another site.
13:20This is it.
13:21We have to make the site work.
13:22The guys look for help from the men they are leasing their claim from, Chris Chandler and Hakurt Singh.
13:29Nice weather outside.
13:30They get 25% of any gold Scott and George pull from the ground.
13:37But while their trommel wash plant remains stranded, the guys can't find any gold.
13:43Hey, thanks guys for meeting with us today.
13:46We just wanted to sit down with you guys and just kind of talk about what do we do?
13:52You know, because right now the trommel is stuck over here somewhere, a block behind a swollen river.
13:58It's raining right now.
13:59The water level is probably going up as we speak.
14:01Listen, I'm concerned for you guys.
14:03You guys are staring down the barrel of a gun right now.
14:06You're actually right in the middle of the rainy season.
14:08And water is going to be an issue for the next three months.
14:11Okay.
14:12Is there the possibility that our trommel will be stuck for the entire rainy season?
14:21Some, yeah, maybe.
14:22If the rain is continuing, it's not stopped, then problem.
14:26So we have to buy one?
14:27We have to buy one.
14:30A new trommel would deplete what is left of Scott and George's $150,000 budget.
14:36But the guys are out of options.
14:39They need gold.
14:41And to get it, they have to have a trommel.
14:43Whatever we can do to help, we'll help.
14:45Making sure that you guys have enough money to keep going.
14:48We appreciate it.
14:49Let's, yeah, let's look before we, before we make a decision.
14:53Yeah, let's go.
14:53Okay.
14:55So tomorrow at nine o'clock?
14:56Nine.
14:56Nine o'clock.
14:57Nine o'clock.
14:57The next day, the guys travel to the nearby village of Bremen to look at a brand new $85,000 trommel.
15:09If they buy it, their budget will be blown, and they will be forced to rely on claim owners Chris and Singh.
15:16More than anything, it's going to put us in a horrible position with Chris and Singh, and it's going to give them more power of us, and we're going to be giving them that power as soon as we buy that trommel.
15:23And it just freaks me out, and it pisses me off that we have to do it.
15:26Look at Chris and Singh like a credit card.
15:28That's a line of credit that's been extended to us.
15:30If we didn't have the credit card, then we're just screwed anyway.
15:33We have to take that risk.
15:34That's the only way that we can get gold and send it home.
15:42Awesome.
15:43Let's take a look at this thing.
15:44Let's check it out.
15:45This looks good, man.
15:50Yeah, it does.
15:51Slightly different than our last model, but...
15:57It looks good, man.
15:58It looks real good.
16:00Yeah.
16:00It looks expensive, but, yeah, it looks good.
16:03This trommel can process 900 tons of pay gravel a day.
16:07If there's gold on the Ramasso claim, it could produce 30 ounces of gold per day, worth about $48,000.
16:15I don't think we have any other option, you know?
16:17I think we need to do it.
16:20Think about it, you know?
16:21No breakdowns.
16:22We can be washing every day and not have to give this thing another thought, you know?
16:26Yeah.
16:26I think you might be right.
16:31Buying the trommel is only half the battle.
16:35Now the guys have to get it through 50 miles of jungle and onto their flooded claim.
16:40If we're going to get mining, we've got to get this thing going, we've got to get it onto our site, and it's not going to be easy to get it there, I'll tell you that.
16:527,000 miles away in Utah, the guy's new mechanic, Travis Fotheringham, is leaving for Ghana.
16:57I'm just sad.
17:04I just don't think I'm quite ready.
17:07I guess I just hope everything's worth it from this point.
17:10America's recession has hit Travis hard.
17:13In the last year, he moved his family into temporary housing and lost his steady job as a mechanic.
17:21Losing my house meant my kids losing the school he went to, the friends they had.
17:27But Travis is an ex-military mechanic, and he has the skills to work in Ghana's jungle.
17:33This is his best chance to turn his family's lives around.
17:37I would do anything to be able to provide for my family like I once did.
17:43It still feels like the right thing to do.
17:47It still feels like this is the opportunity, this is the chance, this is what we've been waiting for.
17:54I'm still really confident that this is going to work out.
17:58Is that all right with you?
18:08I feel horrible.
18:10I don't want to know you.
18:13I don't want to miss him.
18:23You know what I need you to do?
18:26I need you to be tough for your mom and your little sister.
18:30Okay?
18:30I'm just so torn.
18:36I know that this is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it's do or die right now.
18:44You can do this.
18:49Travis is out of work and lost his home.
18:52But he will earn $5,000 a month in Ghana working for Scott and George.
18:59It's a 20-hour flight to Kamasi, the second largest city in Ghana.
19:05What's up, dude?
19:07What's happening?
19:08How are you?
19:09It's good to finally see you again.
19:10Victor, nice to meet you.
19:11Scott takes Travis right to the vast spare parts magazine market.
19:22They're on a hunt for an air filter to fix the 330B excavator.
19:26We have a problem.
19:29We need parts.
19:30There are hundreds and hundreds of shops just like this, all up and down here.
19:34This is a good 10 square miles of just this.
19:39Travis has never been out of the United States.
19:43Magazine market is not in his comfort zone.
19:46This is crazy.
19:47It looks like a war zone just full of people everywhere.
19:50I've never seen anything like this in my life.
19:53I've never even seen anything like this in the movie.
19:57After an hour, they finally find the air filter they need.
20:01Right now, they're trying to score some air filters and fuel filters for the excavator.
20:07If it don't work, do I bring it back?
20:08No problem.
20:11Thanks, guys.
20:11Travis is just off the plane, but he has to fix the excavator.
20:30If Scott and George can't find gold, Travis won't get his $5,000 a month.
20:36Any engine is just a great big air pump.
20:40And without proper air flow, it's never going to run correctly.
20:44So somebody had replaced this air filter before with the wrong one.
20:50I'm going to put this brand new one in here.
20:52If the new air filter solves the problem, the guys will finally be able to dig for Ghana gold.
20:59All right, Victor, let's just fire this thing up.
21:01You know, right now, it's not feeling like it's made a whole lot of difference.
21:12It's acting like the throttle is not as high as it needs to be.
21:16So when I hit this and it activates hydraulic, it just wants to kill the machine.
21:23Done.
21:23Travis quickly identifies a big problem.
21:29With these injectors, you can tell that there's a lot of fuel coming from there, causing fuel leak and causing lack of power.
21:37Without enough power, they won't be able to operate the hydraulic system, lift the arm, and move the excavator.
21:44It could take weeks to get new fuel injector parts in Ghana.
21:47Every day they're not digging, Scott and George are potentially losing out on thousands in gold.
21:54Travis has to come up with a quick fix in the middle of the jungle.
21:58We'll keep working on it.
22:09Scott Lomo is transporting his new $85,000 trommel to the Ramaso gold claim.
22:17You can do it, Kwame.
22:19You can do it.
22:22This gold-catching machine can pull 30 ounces of gold or $48,000 from the ground a day.
22:29This is a critical piece.
22:30All the money that we're going to make is going to come out the end of this machine.
22:34We've got to get it out there.
22:35Without this machine, there's no money to be made.
22:37So between here and between our side is a good, you know, four miles or so.
22:41These roads are bad.
22:43We've been stuck every time we've come down here.
22:45We may not make it very far.
22:46It's the middle of the rainy season.
22:49Ghana's dirt roads are treacherous.
22:51We've got an $85,000 piece of equipment.
22:54I mean, the thing weighs 10 tons, and it's bouncing around like a rag doll back there.
23:01Crap.
23:02They're stopping us.
23:07Driver's pissed.
23:09Driver just saw the road, and it looks like this is as far as we're going.
23:13There's no way.
23:21He'll sink right here.
23:23I think our day's done.
23:31The truck driver unhooks the trommel.
23:33He won't go the last four miles to the claim.
23:36Scott and the $85,000 machine are stranded in the middle of nowhere.
23:42He calls George with the bad news.
23:45Hey, dude.
23:45It's me.
23:47Nope.
23:47We're still here sitting with the trommel.
23:50Everything's come to a screeching halt here.
23:52So we're going to have to pick up first thing in the morning with Singh and everybody.
23:57Okay.
23:57Thanks, dude.
23:57See ya.
24:06There he goes.
24:08The goal was to get the pit open today.
24:11Now, that won't happen until probably this time tomorrow because we've got to get the excavator
24:16out here.
24:17So, yeah, this is a huge setback for us.
24:19The guys can't get the trommel to their claim without a working excavator to drag it there.
24:24But just hours before nightfall, Travis comes up with a fix.
24:29So I'm going to start it, and I'll have you tie that off tight again with a high throttle.
24:34Travis, do you want me to tie it very tight?
24:36Pull it as tight as you can.
24:37We want as much RPMs as possible.
24:40But don't break that string.
24:42That string's all we have.
24:44Okay.
24:45Travis has improvised.
24:49He uses a piece of string to restore the excavator's power.
24:53With this throttle, you've actually been running the machine at this RPM.
24:58Where we need it to be running.
24:59The throttle is held open by a string, and the excavator is temporarily able to run at
25:09full power.
25:12This excavator's being controlled.
25:14The throttle's being held open with just a piece of string.
25:18Simple as that.
25:19This is how you do it.
25:20This is how you do it.
25:21Yeah.
25:23I definitely think that the work we did today made a big difference.
25:26So, I'm happy with the outcome.
25:33At dawn, the team gathers to get their brand new trommel onto the claim.
25:38Back up.
25:39Singh's expert driver, Bouchan, is at the controls of the excavator.
25:44All right.
25:44Bring it in.
25:46If Travis's bush fix holds, the excavator should have the power to drag the trommel to the
25:52Ramasso claim.
25:52Listen, there's a thousand things that can go wrong.
25:55There's only one thing that can go right, and that's getting the trommel to the site.
26:01The trommel will be towed down four miles of flooded dirt road and through a 90-foot-long
26:07swamp.
26:09Its final destination, an acre of dry land that could hold nearly $200,000 in gold.
26:16This trommel was not meant to be towed like this.
26:25Go, go.
26:27Up, up.
26:28You're clear.
26:30He's got to come down.
26:32Straight down.
26:32With George acting as Bouchan's eyes, the team slowly heads downhill.
26:37Watch.
26:37Watch.
26:38Hold on.
26:39Around these side bends, this excavator's just tossing that trommel like a rag doll.
26:48Oh, my gosh.
26:50The excavator is struggling to pull the 10-ton trommel.
26:56Back up.
26:59Turn it.
27:03The whole freaking rope just snapped.
27:06They make it to level ground, but their tow rope has snapped.
27:19Scott replaces the rope with steel cables.
27:21To get across the last stretch of swamp, the excavator now has to lift the trommel.
27:26All right, Bouchan, let's lift it up.
27:29Pull it straight out.
27:30The lift will test Travis's bush fix.
27:37If the string tied around the excavator's throttle snaps, they'll lose the hydraulics, and the
27:43trommel will fall into five feet of flood water.
27:51Really muddy.
27:52This is really deep mud.
27:54Look at this.
27:54The guys push into the deepest part of the swamp.
28:01Why is this stopping?
28:05What's up?
28:06We're adjusting this to make it shorter.
28:08Oh, so you can lift it higher?
28:09Yeah.
28:10Oh, that's good.
28:13Okay.
28:13Okay.
28:14If the trommel's engine gets submerged, it could mean a rebuild.
28:24And every day lost out here costs the guys thousands in potential profit.
28:29This rolls back on me.
28:31That'd be a bad day.
28:33You can hear it.
28:51This is awesome.
28:51This is a great sign.
28:53Travis's fix holds.
28:55The excavator maintains power.
28:57The machine George and Scott spent the last of their money on is finally safe on high ground.
29:06Oh, she.
29:07You get a big, wet hug.
29:10Nice job.
29:12Awesome.
29:13It's here.
29:14We called it to.
29:15We wanted to.
29:16Thanks to their new hire, Travis, the guys can now finally begin processing gold on the
29:21Ramazzo claim.
29:23Yes!
29:23To say this is a win is a massive understatement.
29:27Now we can start digging, and this is a phenomenal day.
29:40After four weeks of frustration, Scott Lomu and George Wright are ready to start mining.
29:47Their new trommel is finally in position to catch gold.
29:50Their excavator is running.
29:51They can now dig for the estimated $1.5 million in gold on the Ramazzo claim.
29:58Let's get in there.
29:59Let's tear it all down.
30:02There's only one acre of dry land on the Ramazzo claim.
30:06The guys think this acre could hold $187,000 of gold.
30:11The first pit will be 100 feet wide and 20 feet down, and they hope to hit gold-rich pay
30:17gravel.
30:19This is where it all begins.
30:20It's right here, baby.
30:22Unbelievable.
30:24It's been a long time coming.
30:25It's awesome.
30:27Right now, we're digging.
30:30We should be watching within a few days.
30:32But after just a half hour of digging, everything comes to an abrupt halt.
30:47A local farmer named Kwesi claims the land they are digging on belongs to him.
30:54He wants to be paid for knocking down his cocoa trees.
30:58He's angry and has a machete.
31:00We're going to have big problems with this guy.
31:06He's not going away.
31:09When claim owners Kristen Singh bought this land, they paid a cocoa farmer named Kofi for
31:15the right to remove his trees.
31:17Kwesi is Kofi's brother-in-law and is unaware that a deal was struck.
31:22We sit with him.
31:24He has all his sister there to talk.
31:27Even the two sisters signed an agreement with us.
31:29What's up?
31:30What's up?
31:30Man.
31:31Don't be take my patience, okay?
31:33What's up?
31:35What's up?
31:37Kwesi refuses to let them mind.
31:42Kristen Singh's security guard, Ernest, calls Kofi, the landowner, to straighten things out.
31:47They're talking to him right now, and they're trying to resolve this peacefully.
31:59This guy is the brother-in-law of Kofi.
32:02He had no idea that Kofi just sold all this land.
32:05It's the right family.
32:06It's the right brother-in-law.
32:07He just doesn't know anything about it, and he is pissed.
32:11Kofi is saying that the land is not for this man.
32:14Okay.
32:14It's obvious the guys are caught in the middle of a messy family dispute, but they do have
32:26the right to mind this land.
32:28Ernest forces Kwesi to leave.
32:33But Singh fears he will return to seek revenge.
32:38This fight is coming.
32:39We need to know today, good security.
32:43Somebody should have to stay.
32:45Otherwise, he can spoil anything.
32:47Who is going to stay here today night?
32:50We'll stay.
32:51We're happy to stay.
32:52No problem.
32:53After a three-hour standoff, the guys continue mining.
32:56But as they get deeper into their pit, they run into another problem.
33:14About four feet beneath the top, it's just running water.
33:18They are mining the claim's only dry land, but the water table is just below the surface.
33:25The water will wash away the gold before they can get to it.
33:29If there's water, we're not going to be able to get the gravel out to start washing.
33:36So we've got to get it out.
33:37We've got to get it out now.
33:39To fight off the water, the guys bring in a pair of three-inch pumps, each capable of
33:45draining 250 gallons a minute.
33:48On an operation like this, we're going to need pumps running 24 hours a day just based
33:56on what I'm seeing here.
33:57Hey, it's good.
34:08At dusk, Scott heads to set up camp.
34:11After the Kwesi run-in, they will have to guard their equipment overnight.
34:15People who you're having fights with and disputes with are known to come in and wreak havoc on
34:20your equipment.
34:20So we're going to camp right on top of our equipment tonight.
34:24Not only do we have to make sure that this equipment stays safe, but we've got to make
34:28sure that these pumps are pumping all night.
34:39Today's going to be a day that we'll remember for a long time, man.
34:42There are some things that we need to do.
34:44You know, like I said, the hard part starts now, but today was huge.
34:48Our entire investment's in this equipment.
34:50We have to make sure we protect it.
34:52We've got to make sure we have just a good day tomorrow.
34:55That's right.
34:55We need a whole bunch of good days for the next several days if we're going to pull this
34:59out.
34:59So let's do it, man.
35:01Scott, George, and security guard Ernest settle in for the first night on the claim,
35:06deep in the African jungle.
35:08After an uneventful night, the guys wake to a nightmare.
35:16They're set to begin mining for gold.
35:18So let's go check this out.
35:19But their pit is a pond.
35:21This pit's full.
35:23Oh, ****.
35:25I got up.
35:26I tried to get them going.
35:27This one kept popping off.
35:29Their three-inch pumps were no match for the water.
35:32The last thing I wanted to see.
35:34We can't dig today.
35:34I should probably run into town and buy some bigger, heavy-duty-ear clamps.
35:39All right.
35:48Our pit's full of water.
35:50So all in all, it was a bad night.
35:56But the water is the least of George's concerns.
36:00Suddenly, Kwesi emerges from the jungle.
36:03Why?
36:04Why?
36:08Why?
36:09Why?
36:16Why?
36:18He has a machete
36:19and has a score to settle.
36:21Huh?
36:23Ernest pulls his knife to defend himself.
36:25Oh, jeez.
36:26Why is this?
36:27Why are you doing this?
36:29Why is this?
36:30Why is this?
36:30Why are you doing this?
36:30Why are you doing this?
36:30Why are you doing this?
36:31Why are you doing this?
36:32Ernest manages to disarm Kwasi, then throws down his own knife.
36:41George scrambles to get the weapons out of their reach.
36:57Kwasi has another machete.
37:02Ernest is able to wrestle it away.
37:05Throw it.
37:06Ernest!
37:08Me?
37:15As soon as they start throwing punches, Kwasi gets the upper hand.
37:22George has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
37:29Pedestrians don't have the right of way. The cars do.
37:35Scott, Travis, and mine foreman Victor are on a mission to find new hose clips for their water pumps.
37:40You think the jungle's out there where the gold is? The jungle's right here when you're buying parts.
37:45Each hour they aren't running, Scott and George are losing money.
37:50We can't go here because we owe these guys money.
37:53So let's go this way.
37:54Again, this is ten square miles.
37:55You'll find anything you need out here.
37:56This is our Ghanaian Walmart.
37:57The parts they need are worth only a couple of bucks.
38:00You literally walk your ass off just to find one little part. It's a hassle. It's a pain.
38:05And after a three-hour trip, they finally head back to the claim with two new hose clips.
38:12And after a three-hour trip, they finally head back to the claim with two new hose clips.
38:18George Wright just choked out Kwasi after he attacked their security guard.
38:48Ernest.
38:49You calm down. Hey, calm down. We're friends. But you need to calm down. We can figure it out.
38:58Kwasi is stunned, but fine. He had no idea that George is an experienced MMA fighter.
39:05Are you okay? Kwasi, are you okay? Kwasi, are you okay?
39:11Kwasi is bitter that his family made a deal with Scott and George behind his back.
39:17Even after being subdued, he is angry and still wants compensation.
39:26Ernest suspects that they have not seen the last of Kwasi.
39:31My problem is when these boyfriends go to the town, he will always go and call his people to come and attack us, even I in particular.
39:40So my life is now in danger to even kill me.
39:46George calls Scott to break the news.
39:49I mean, I'm not kidding you. For a split second, I thought somebody was going to die.
39:52But at the end of the day, he was trying to drown Ernest, and I had to get involved and neutralize it.
39:57Ernest has injured his hand and needs to go to the hospital in Dunquois fast.
40:03All right, bye.
40:12Let's go inside.
40:13Okay.
40:14So we're coming into the hospital right now.
40:18Our security guard, Ernest, needs to get a full medical workup.
40:21He risked his life for us today.
40:23He can't move his hand.
40:24We're pretty sure it's broken.
40:26So we just got to get him in here, make sure everything's okay.
40:32Ernest is quickly examined.
40:34It's still fine, John.
40:35No, wait, wait, wait, wait.
40:36We're just happy that it's not broken.
40:38So they're going to put this cream on there to help dull the pain.
40:41They are going to bandage it.
40:45Scott has set up a meeting outside the hospital with Kofi.
40:49He is the landowner on the Romaso claim and Kwesi's brother-in-law.
40:53They need to find a peaceful solution.
40:56Kofi, we want to work it out.
40:58We want to be friends.
40:59Even with Kwesi, we don't want any problems.
41:01We don't want problems.
41:02We want to be friends with him.
41:04You let him know, if you talk to him, you let him know that we want to be friends.
41:08If you want to talk to him, you let him know that we want to be friends.
41:10If you want to talk to him, we want to be friends.
41:12We don't have any problems.
41:13No, thank you.
41:14No problem.
41:15Ultimately, we want friends.
41:17We don't want enemies here.
41:19We want to be able to create an environment where we can provide for our families in the gold mining industry.
41:23And that's it.
41:24That's our goal.
41:25So we hope that he's okay, and we hope that he will be okay with us.
41:29We need to be friends with this guy.
41:31We need to be able to stay in our village.
41:32We need to be able to walk down the streets and feel safe.
41:36Scott and George make peace with Kwesi's family.
41:40But if the locals find out that George subdued Kwesi, the situation could quickly fall apart.
41:51George lays low to avoid retaliation, while Scott and Travis look for Kwesi to make amends.
41:57Look, we don't want any hard feelings.
42:00We don't want any trouble in this village.
42:02So we're actually going to try to talk to the guy.
42:04See if he's okay.
42:05Just to see if we can't bury the hatchet.
42:07I have no idea how it's going to go.
42:09On the outskirts of Uncontumso, they spot Kwesi on the side of the road.
42:14Here he is.
42:16How are you?
42:22Are you okay?
42:23Hey, listen.
42:24We just want to talk and see if you're okay.
42:26Okay.
42:27Are you okay?
42:28I'm not okay.
42:29Why?
42:30We didn't want any trouble.
42:32We want to be friends with you.
42:34We don't want any problems.
42:36Is it okay?
42:38You know, the only reason my friend jumped on was because our guy was in danger.
42:43He was drowning.
42:44We don't want any problems with you.
42:49Is it okay?
42:50Will you be?
42:51Can we talk?
42:52Put the camera down.
42:53I don't want him to talk.
42:54We don't want any problems with you, okay?
43:04Okay.
43:05We don't want any problems with you, okay?
43:09If we can help you, we will help you, okay?
43:13All right.
43:14In their quest for Ghana gold, Scott and George have encountered one problem after another.
43:19But now, their biggest problem isn't the jungle.
43:23They might just have their first real enemy in Africa.
43:26That guy does not like you.
43:27No.
43:28No.
43:29No.
43:30No.
43:31No.
43:32No.
43:33No.
43:34No.
43:35No.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment