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Gold Rush: Freddy Dodges Mine Rescue - Season 5 - Episode 02: Gold Today, Gone Tomorrow
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00:05One day in the top of the box, I found 22 nuggets.
00:11This has been a dream, and it's been a success right up until three years ago.
00:17The big gold ran out. I don't know what happened.
00:21We put in the second plant, and we're still getting the same gold.
00:24I just don't know what I'm doing wrong.
00:28Welcome to our nightmare.
00:31We're trying to catch more gold.
00:33We need this. This is our bank account.
00:36We've got so much money invested.
00:38I had to borrow from the bank, but the line of credit is maxed out.
00:44Sometimes I get sick, just trying to figure it all out.
00:47I'm very stressed. There's no backup plan.
00:50I might have to shut down.
00:55Freddie Dodge.
00:56I'd rather have gold in the bank, then gold in the mountain.
00:58And Juan Ibarra.
01:00Not bad for built in the field.
01:01Want to make you rich.
01:03It turns your dream out here into a reality.
01:07In the past five years, the value of gold has doubled.
01:12There's a $3,000 nugget right there.
01:14But rookie miners find it more elusive than ever.
01:19If we don't recover more gold, then we could lose everything.
01:23But there is hope.
01:25Miracles, they do happen.
01:27To turn desperation into fortune.
01:30Freddie and Juan have one week.
01:32What you just did, this genius.
01:34To deliver a golden payday.
01:37They have a future, and they know what they need to do.
01:47You know, in its heyday, in this area, I had as many people as San Francisco at one time.
01:52Yeah, and they didn't have roads like we're driving down.
01:55Those were tough men and women back then, Fred.
01:57They had come out here with barely what they had on their backs and provisions in their horse.
02:02They kept provisions in their horse?
02:08The caribou gold rush of the 1860s saw thousands of miners descend on this area,
02:14which produced over 3.8 million ounces of gold worth $8.7 billion in today's money.
02:22But by 1865, the Stampeders bypassed the area.
02:27Potentially leaving valuable gold deposits behind.
02:33Hey, Juan, it's got to be the road, huh?
02:35Right after the trauma, we'll make a left, huh?
02:38Yeah, roger that.
02:41Put it in four-wheel drive, Juan.
02:43It's getting a little muddy.
02:44We've got to hug this side as best we can.
02:49Freddie and Juan are sliding their way to the Gibson Mine,
02:53where Jim Gibson and Wendy Turlings own an 1,800-acre property
02:59and have amassed a million dollars' worth of equipment
03:02to run ancient river gravels on deposits known as benches.
03:13Everything's always a f***ing battle.
03:17Freddie's stuck in the mud.
03:19I can't get around him.
03:23You ever done this one, Juan?
03:25What's that, Fred?
03:25Use rope as a spider?
03:27Yeah.
03:27I've got chains on the front of the truck.
03:29What these will do, these knots will hook up in the mud
03:32when you try to slide sideways.
03:34Yeah, it gives you a little more traction there.
03:36Yeah, we'll make do with what we got.
03:39We're going to get Freddie's truck through,
03:40see how that does, and then it's my turn.
03:43Down the bank's the river,
03:44so it's going to be quite a tumble
03:46if we end up losing one of these trucks.
03:50Give her health, Fred.
03:54Freddie's going.
03:57It might be a little rough trying to get out of this.
04:09Come on, baby, come on.
04:12Go, go, go, go, go, go.
04:16That was a close one, Fred.
04:18Yeah.
04:32Jim, I assume?
04:33Yes.
04:34How are you doing?
04:34I'm Juan.
04:35Welcome, Juan.
04:36We've been excited.
04:37Yes, yes.
04:37So you guys are like J-Lo in the mining world.
04:40More like J-Lo.
04:41J-Lo, yeah.
04:43How big of a property do you have?
04:441,800 acres altogether.
04:46We've got a really big chunk.
04:48We just need to figure out what we're doing wrong.
04:51What have you been making this year?
04:52Maybe an ounce a day.
04:56Do you have a goal for this year?
04:58We need to find 100 ounces this season.
05:01With 10 ounces already secured,
05:04Jim and Wendy have around 60 days left on the season
05:07to secure the remaining 90 ounces.
05:10It's going to be closer to an ounce and a half a day.
05:13Yes.
05:14So do you have any gold you can show us?
05:16This jar used to be full three years ago.
05:18Yeah.
05:19I had to sell it off.
05:20She's got some coarse gold, Juan.
05:22But is that what you're getting this year?
05:23No.
05:24Smaller than this?
05:25Yes.
05:26A lot of sand.
05:27We can't put as much dirt through an hour
05:29as I could when I was mining this stuff.
05:31So the materials got way sandier then?
05:33Yeah.
05:34That tells me it's a ground.
05:36Did the size of your gold change?
05:39Well, maybe a little bit.
05:40More smaller gold now?
05:41Yep.
05:41Yep.
05:42So it's a ground.
05:43Yep.
05:43Well, I don't know if it's a ground.
05:45I think we're losing a lot
05:46because there's gold all the way down the box.
05:51So how are your finances doing right now?
05:53Oh, they're not doing good.
05:55We took it a major investor this year
05:56to buy some big equipment.
05:58We might have to liquidate everything.
06:01It's a crucial season for you.
06:03Make or break this season.
06:04It's hard when you don't know
06:06really what you're doing, right?
06:10Self-taught miners, Wendy and Jim,
06:12begin their gold mining adventure.
06:14More than 20 years ago.
06:16We just went camping, my wife and I,
06:19and she asked if I knew how to stake mining claims.
06:21I said, oh yeah, every kid my age in the caribou
06:24knows how to stake mining claims.
06:27Mining was always interesting.
06:30Gold was interesting to me.
06:32I've never ever seen it before,
06:35but I always thought it would be quite cool to try it.
06:38Really, really fine black sand.
06:41With bills mounting up,
06:43Wendy's son, John,
06:44provides free labor to help their operation.
06:47With Jim, this is what he's passionate about,
06:49and I think until he loses a leg,
06:51he'll be down here digging holes in the ground.
06:55They've had a rough go here these last few years.
06:57Hopefully this year's the year
06:58that we're going to turn things around.
07:02As the big gold disappeared,
07:05Jim doubled down with an extra plant
07:07to increase production.
07:09The second wash plant, I didn't pay for that.
07:11I borrowed the money for that.
07:14We sold the house,
07:15and I put in well in excess of $300,000
07:18of my own money into the mine.
07:20We just need to figure out what we're doing around.
07:24So are you guys ready to run right now?
07:26We are ready to run,
07:27but only one plant
07:28because one of our pumps is down.
07:31Let's run a four-hour test with just one plant.
07:33Okay.
07:33Let's do it.
07:33Yep.
07:38While Jim fires up the plant,
07:44John gets ready to load pay
07:46in the 270 excavator.
07:49They've got just so much money invested
07:51that every speck of gold counts.
07:55Sandier pay tells me
07:56they're in a different deposit,
07:57but it still could be good for them
07:59if it's processed in the right way.
08:03There it is.
08:04First bucket, Fred.
08:07Pay is fed
08:08into the six-foot shaker deck
08:10where water washes gold-bearing material
08:13off the rocks.
08:15The larger waste material
08:17is discarded off the end
08:19while the fines get caught
08:21in the sluice below.
08:24The way they talked earlier,
08:25you know,
08:26I believe that the ground's changing on them.
08:28Changed, yeah.
08:29There's a bunch of mud coming off.
08:32Yeah, right there.
08:33There's quite a bit there.
08:35Guano,
08:36I'm going to go down
08:37and see what these tailings look like.
08:39All right.
08:39Careful,
08:39some of those big suckers coming down, Fred.
08:42Yo!
08:46Pretty dirty one.
08:54Can't even get it off the rocks.
08:59I've never tested the backside of it.
09:02The pay dirt isn't being washed
09:04off the waste rock,
09:06known as tailings.
09:09One, two, three, four,
09:11five, six.
09:15Probably 20 or so pieces in there.
09:16Yeah.
09:17Four or five are pretty substantial.
09:1950, Nash.
09:19So out of every bucket we're losing,
09:22what do you think?
09:23A couple bucks?
09:24Oh, yeah.
09:25I would say that.
09:27How many buckets are we doing a day?
09:30We're doing 30 an hour times 12,
09:33so 360.
09:35We could be losing
09:37as much as a quarter to half
09:39of our gold every day.
09:43I'm going to go in just one second.
09:44I'm going to go in just one second.
09:51Man.
09:52That's it.
09:54Fred!
09:55Those are packed hard.
09:57A packed sluice
09:59forces gold
10:00across the compacted material
10:02and out the end.
10:03Well, you can see the pit's on.
10:05It's not steep enough on.
10:07Well, we definitely have
10:08a lot to think about.
10:09We do.
10:09There's a lot going on.
10:14Four hours right on the money.
10:18Last bucket!
10:28I'd say a few pieces of gold, huh, Juan?
10:30There's gold in the box, so...
10:31Yeah.
10:32That's a plus.
10:32Yeah.
10:33We'll watch you guys pull your mats
10:35and we'll go from there.
10:37Okay.
10:41You know, Freddy, his plant,
10:42you know, there's a couple processes
10:44there that are just a little
10:45overly complicated, I think.
10:47I do, too.
10:51I know it takes forever.
10:53Jim, what do you have for a table?
10:55And where's it at?
10:56For a shaker table?
10:57It's not working.
10:58Where's it at?
10:59Over here.
11:00A working gold table
11:02could make cleanups faster
11:03and increase recovery
11:05of fine gold.
11:06How long has it taken you
11:07to do your cleanups, Jim?
11:09It takes my wife about
11:11four hours.
11:13If I get this working for you,
11:14it's going to speed you up
11:15a bunch, huh?
11:16Oh, yeah.
11:17It needs to be mounted
11:18onto something solid.
11:20You know, this trailer,
11:21even though it's a trailer,
11:22it's still on wheels,
11:23it's on springs.
11:24When you move your body around,
11:26you know, you can feel
11:27the trailer move.
11:28So let me try to get
11:29this going for you.
11:30And if we can take, you know,
11:31an hour and a half
11:32off your cleanup time,
11:33that's an hour and a half
11:34you can be running
11:34instead of cleaning up.
11:35Yep, yep.
11:39We need this to work
11:40this summer.
11:41We need that extra money
11:42to come back in.
11:44Really, I'm a little worried
11:45that, you know,
11:46we could do all these repairs
11:47and get the shaker table
11:48working properly
11:49and get the sluices adjustable,
11:50but if the ground
11:52that we're running
11:52still doesn't have gold,
11:53it may not be enough for them.
11:55The logistics of it
11:56in the time period
11:57we're here
11:58are not good.
12:16If you let your bucket
12:17fill up all the way,
12:18it might be a little easier
12:19for you.
12:19Oh, yeah, okay.
12:21In British Columbia,
12:22at the Gibson Mine,
12:24Wendy cleans the gold
12:25from the four-hour test.
12:27Gotta work, Wendy.
12:28Okay.
12:31Just go like this.
12:32Yep.
12:33We've been spoiled
12:34because we've been
12:35finding the nuggets.
12:37We were finding nice nuggets
12:38all the time.
12:39Now we're kind of
12:41disappointed.
12:43Every minute you can save
12:44on your clean-up
12:45there's more run time
12:46where you can get more gold.
12:48Thanks, Craig.
12:49Here you go.
12:50Go dry it up,
12:51then we'll weigh it.
12:55To clear their debts,
12:56Jim and Wendy need the test
12:58to produce half an ounce
12:59of gold.
13:00Here, guys.
13:01I got it all
13:02cooked up for you.
13:04Okay.
13:05Here we go.
13:170.23, Fred.
13:180.23.
13:19Yeah.
13:21It's beautiful gold,
13:22but beautiful doesn't
13:23pay the bills.
13:24Less than half the amount
13:26they need to turn a profit.
13:28Looks like five or six times
13:30more fines than coarse, huh?
13:32You're losing gold,
13:33but I think the biggest issue
13:34is the ground.
13:35Okay.
13:36Well, what Freddie
13:36and I are going to do
13:37is check out your cut
13:38before we even think
13:39about what we need
13:39to do with the plant.
13:42We're really behind
13:43this year,
13:44and I hope that Freddie
13:45and one can help us
13:46get on our feet again.
13:57I'll grab a pan, Jim.
13:59Okay.
14:00Before any plans
14:02on the plant can be made,
14:04Freddie must inspect
14:05the ground they've mined.
14:08Most of their gold here
14:09is fine gold,
14:10so you want to tune things up
14:13to catch what you have
14:14the most of the best.
14:16Jim's claim is staked
14:17over various benches.
14:19Once the banks
14:20of a river or stream
14:21left high up
14:23on the side of a valley,
14:24if these river gravels
14:26are reworked by water,
14:28they can hold
14:28concentrated pockets of gold.
14:31Just over here
14:32is where it deposited
14:33all the huge rocks.
14:34That was where
14:35we were hitting our gold.
14:36Do you have any
14:37of that cut open?
14:38No, we've pretty well
14:39cleaned it right up.
14:40But this is the material
14:42over here.
14:43This material is what
14:44we ran in the first test?
14:45Yep.
14:46Every rock's telling me
14:48the last time water
14:49hit this gravel,
14:50the water was going
14:51this way,
14:52like at an angle,
14:53like that.
14:54It's called shingling.
14:55Here's a prime example
14:57without getting caved in on.
14:58See this flat rock here?
15:02See how the big end
15:04was pointed right that way?
15:06Right?
15:07So you got your big end
15:08and then your tail downstream.
15:10Good thing about this
15:11is it got reworked
15:12by water.
15:13Oh, okay.
15:13That's nature's
15:14sluice box then.
15:16We know the gold's here
15:17because we got, you know,
15:18some in that first test,
15:20but it's just not enough.
15:23There's got to be
15:24some gold left here.
15:27And if he wants to make
15:28his 100-ounce gold,
15:29we're probably going to have
15:30to look around the property
15:31and keep our fingers crossed
15:32we could find
15:33some different pay.
15:40Go figure some stuff out.
15:41Do you want to?
15:42Yeah.
15:43Well, Freddie,
15:44you know,
15:44from the sounds of it,
15:45they're kind of in a tough spot.
15:46They were doing good gold.
15:47Yeah.
15:48You and I both know
15:48that that's typically
15:49an indicator of different ground.
15:51It's changed on them.
15:52Yep.
15:53You know,
15:53you start getting
15:54some of that finer material,
15:54you're going to have
15:55a lot more going down
15:55of the sluice box.
15:56So it's allowing that material
15:57to pack up.
15:58That's exactly right.
15:58We know they're losing gold
15:59out the back
16:00because there's mud on the rocks.
16:02Yeah, it's not getting
16:03a proper wash.
16:04I'm thinking of actually
16:04using high-pressured water.
16:06Mm-hmm.
16:07And what we'll do
16:08is we'll set up
16:08a big high-pressure pump
16:10and have six nozzles
16:11on the top of that
16:12where we have
16:13that high-pressure water
16:14hitting that material
16:15to break it up.
16:15Yeah.
16:16Hopefully, we can get
16:16the table back up and running,
16:17put it on a pad,
16:18and actually have a tool
16:20that they can use
16:20for cleanups.
16:21Mm-hmm.
16:22Something that's simple.
16:23Yep.
16:23The other thing
16:24I really want to focus on
16:25as well is, you know,
16:25right now, our test run,
16:27we were only able
16:27to run one plant.
16:28Well, we've got to get
16:29the other one going.
16:30Yeah, exactly.
16:30If we can get that
16:31second plant running,
16:32you know, that in itself
16:33is going to increase
16:34its production by 100%.
16:35Yep, exactly.
16:37I like it.
16:37Cheers, buddy.
16:38Cheers.
16:40To get the second plant running,
16:42Freddy and Juan
16:43will bring in a new pump.
16:44Then, to ensure both plants
16:47catch all the gold,
16:48they'll build two new
16:50high-powered spray bars,
16:52which will increase
16:53the pressure by 50 times
16:55to 300 PSI
16:57and wash all the pay
16:59off the rocks.
17:00To prevent each sluice
17:02clogging with changeable material,
17:04Juan will create
17:05a never-seen-before scissor mount
17:07instantly adjustable
17:09for capturing fine gold
17:11and nuggets.
17:12Finally, to reduce
17:14Wendy's four-hour cleanup,
17:16Freddy will find a new home
17:17for the shaker table
17:18and get it back up and running.
17:32What do you say, Jim?
17:34Hello there.
17:35You know, if you have any chance
17:36of being able to make this viable,
17:37you're going to have
17:38to have both plants running.
17:39Okay.
17:40Then I want to get
17:40that table going.
17:41We'll have to pour a pad
17:43for the table
17:43and get it up and running
17:45and find out what's wrong with it
17:46to save you time
17:47on your cleanups.
17:48Yeah, that's what we need
17:49is that table working.
17:50Freddy went on the end
17:51of the wash plant.
17:52You're not getting
17:52a proper wash.
17:54To fix that,
17:55what we want to do
17:55is we want to be able
17:56to concentrate
17:57high-pressure water.
17:58Like a car wash.
17:59Basically like a car wash, yeah.
18:01Yeah, 0.23 doesn't pay
18:02the bills for you.
18:03No, no, no.
18:04Right now it's...
18:05You have too much iron here
18:06to be able to, yeah,
18:07get away with a quarter of an ounce.
18:08It's our fuel bill.
18:09Yeah.
18:10What we're planning
18:10is we want to work
18:11on the sluice boxes
18:12so that way,
18:12that material that's coming down,
18:14we can concentrate it in
18:15a little bit.
18:15And we can have
18:16a little bit of pitch
18:17on it as well.
18:17Oh, okay.
18:17A little more pitch, yep.
18:19Yeah, that's kind of the plan.
18:21And honestly, you know,
18:22between all that,
18:23it's kind of a big number.
18:24You know, we're looking
18:25at about $9,000 in material.
18:27And then two and a half
18:28ounces a piece.
18:30I know that's a big number,
18:31but genuinely,
18:32that's just strictly
18:33going to be parts.
18:37Okay, that sounds
18:38very reasonable.
18:39Well, if you guys
18:39are good with it,
18:39let's do it.
18:40Yep.
18:40We'll get the ordering parts.
18:42Thank you very much.
18:43Yep, we'll get after it.
18:44All right.
18:45Awesome.
18:45Thank you very much.
18:46See you in a bit.
18:47Yep.
18:49Wow.
18:49Okay.
18:50Yeah, holy smokes,
18:51is this ever coming together?
18:53Trying to figure everything
18:54out by myself
18:55has been kind of tough.
18:57And it's nice
18:57to have these guys here
18:58to make my life
19:00a little easier.
19:01You know,
19:02if they want to be able
19:02to tune this plan up
19:03to be able to collect
19:04that fine gold,
19:05they're going to have
19:05to spend some money
19:06to make money.
19:12Well, the first thing
19:13we need to get done
19:14is get this concrete board
19:15because it has to have
19:17some time to set up.
19:20A pad of concrete
19:22will give the shaker table
19:23a firm and flat base
19:25to be screwed into.
19:26Keep mixing it
19:27in a wheelbarrow.
19:28Yeah.
19:29And we'll need
19:30to be strong enough
19:31to support over a ton
19:32of vibrating equipment.
19:35What we're doing here
19:36is just adding a little bit
19:38of scrap steel in here.
19:39It helps the concrete
19:40hold together.
19:41It's like the backbone
19:42in the concrete.
19:44The flatter we get this,
19:46it'll be better for us.
19:46The less adjustment
19:47we have to do on the legs.
19:50Looks good.
19:53Realistically,
19:54this is almost
19:54like a double rescue
19:55because it's two plants
19:56we've got to fix.
19:57But it will be worth it,
19:58you know?
20:14hop in, Jim.
20:16Let's go look at that bench.
20:18On the Gibson mine,
20:22Freddie and Jim
20:23continue the hunt
20:24for new ground.
20:26Looks like they got
20:27some old drill rod there.
20:28That might be
20:29the only option we have.
20:31While Juan scavenges
20:32material for his new spray bar.
20:36So the way it's going to work
20:37is this is going to be
20:38a high-pressure spray bar.
20:39It's not going to get
20:40it perfectly clean,
20:41but if it can help start
20:41breaking some of that material up
20:43before it starts getting
20:44scrubbed on the deck,
20:45that would definitely help.
20:48You know,
20:49it's something that we've
20:49never done before,
20:50so it may or may not work,
20:51but it's worth a try.
20:52And if it does work,
20:53it's going to help them out
20:54tremendously to be able to
20:55help get some of that gold
20:56that's locked up in that clay.
20:58Juan's custom spray bar
20:59should clean the rocks
21:01and increase the fine gold
21:03recovery by up to 30%.
21:05Hey, Juan.
21:07Hey, Wendy.
21:07How you doing?
21:08What you up to?
21:09Oh, just getting some parts.
21:10If you want to give me a hand,
21:11we'll start putting them
21:12on the spray bars.
21:13So I'm going to start
21:14the holes for the spray bar.
21:20Then we're going to drill them
21:21out a little bit bigger
21:22and then we'll tap them.
21:32Now, instead of having
21:33a spray bar that's, you know,
21:35maybe hitting five or six PSI,
21:36we're going to have
21:37concentrated 300 PSI
21:39right on the material.
21:39Oh, wow.
21:40So tell me a little bit about you.
21:42What makes Wendy tick?
21:43What makes me tick?
21:44Jim?
21:45Jim makes you tick?
21:46Sometimes.
21:47In a good way,
21:48in a bad way sometimes?
21:48Well, yeah.
21:49You usually get along pretty good.
21:51It's not an easy career.
21:52You've got to have
21:52a strong support network
21:54and my support network
21:55is my wife, my kids.
21:56And you've got to have it
21:57and it looks like
21:58you guys have that as well.
21:59So now you were born
22:00in the States, you said, huh?
22:01Yeah, I was born
22:01in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
22:03Okay.
22:04And I came to Canada
22:05when I was 11 years old.
22:08The Children's Aid Society
22:09came and took me away.
22:11I come from
22:12the White Earth Reservations.
22:14I kind of got stuck
22:16in the social works.
22:18I missed my mom
22:20and I hadn't seen her
22:22for years
22:23and I never even thought
22:24I would see her again.
22:26Really?
22:26Wow.
22:31A 60 Scoop
22:32is when the Canadian
22:34government came in
22:35and went through
22:36the reserves
22:37and started packing kids out
22:38and putting them up
22:39for adoption
22:40or putting them
22:40in foster homes.
22:42Over a 30-year period,
22:44Indigenous children
22:45were taken
22:46from their families
22:47by welfare authorities
22:48and fostered
22:50or adopted out
22:51to settler families.
22:52The government's aim
22:54was to assimilate
22:55Indigenous people,
22:56but for the estimated
22:5720,000 children involved,
23:00the effects
23:01were devastating.
23:03That's what happened
23:04to Native kids.
23:10I was stolen.
23:15It's been a rough life
23:16for me.
23:17Both Freddie and I
23:18are very passionate
23:19about what we do,
23:20but to understand
23:21where you're coming from,
23:22the injustices
23:22that were done to you
23:23as a kid,
23:24hopefully we can help you out
23:25where you can start
23:26and be able to make up
23:27some of that time
23:28that you did lose
23:28as a child.
23:30Time lost
23:31and, you know,
23:31coming up with these
23:32new fixes
23:33will help us
23:33collect more gold.
23:35There'll be more
23:36of an opportunity
23:37to travel
23:38and visit my parents
23:39and my sisters
23:41and brothers,
23:41my aunts and uncles.
23:43They're all over the place.
23:44I know the fixes
23:45that we're doing
23:45to the planet
23:46are going to help
23:46you tremendously.
23:47It's going to be
23:47exciting to see it.
23:48I'm excited to see it too.
23:50Thank you, Juan.
23:50No problem.
23:51Thanks.
23:52Thanks for sharing
23:52that with me.
23:53Yep.
23:58Damn rain now.
24:00This is an interior
24:01rainforest
24:02and we do get
24:03a lot of rain.
24:04By the size of the trees,
24:06you know that there's
24:06been no mechanical
24:07operation in here.
24:09On the other side
24:10of the claim,
24:11right here, huh?
24:13This is the spot.
24:15Jim takes Freddy
24:16to a bench deposit
24:17he believes has potential.
24:19So this is the stuff
24:20where it was
24:21different layers.
24:24Yeah, it doesn't look good.
24:26Doesn't look good, hey?
24:28You can see
24:28there's tailings there,
24:30tailings there.
24:31This is definitely tailings.
24:33Yep.
24:33All through here.
24:36Let's go look over here.
24:41See how the rocks
24:42are laying in there, Jim?
24:44Uh-huh.
24:45So this hasn't
24:46been reworked much.
24:47Doesn't mean
24:48there's not gold in it,
24:49but it hasn't been
24:50re-concentrated.
24:53Yet to find good ground,
24:56Freddy continues
24:57his search
24:57along the bench.
25:01Yeah, this looks
25:02better, actually.
25:04Does it look reworked
25:06at all to you?
25:07This looks reworked
25:07some, yeah.
25:09You can see here
25:10in that bedrock
25:11where it's decomposed,
25:12see where those gravels
25:14have got in it
25:14after the bedrock
25:15was broken up.
25:16So once that gold
25:17gets in there,
25:18it isn't getting out.
25:19This could be your future.
25:21I've been here
25:22for a while, anyway.
25:23This is all
25:24virgin material.
25:27If the Quenelle River's
25:28there,
25:29and you can see
25:30the bench
25:31in the distance there,
25:33it should be good
25:33because it's been
25:34reworked a lot.
25:35I think this is
25:36your future.
25:37It's just,
25:38I don't know
25:38if we can get out
25:39while Juan and myself
25:40are here.
25:41Yeah.
25:42So much rain this year,
25:44and still rain.
25:46Yeah, I've learned
25:46a few tricks.
25:48I've learned how
25:48to read the ground
25:49a lot better
25:50than I knew before.
25:51We looked at some ground
25:52that looks pretty good,
25:54but we can't get
25:56the material here.
25:57It's sunny now,
25:58but it's been raining
25:59and raining and raining.
26:00The road's just a mud hole,
26:02so there's no getting
26:04to that.
26:04So we're going to have
26:05to run just the same
26:06type material
26:07for this second test
26:08and see what's going on.
26:10what it gives us.
26:20All right.
26:21Well, there's
26:21the beginning of it.
26:22Pretty cool setup.
26:23I'm excited to try it out,
26:24see how it works.
26:25It'll be a game changer.
26:26Spray bar complete.
26:27Juan moves on to the first
26:29of two scissor lifts
26:30for the sluice,
26:32driven by a piston,
26:33which can lift
26:34up to 3,000 pounds.
26:36As a gear drive,
26:38that runs a screw
26:39up and down.
26:39We're going to use
26:40that motion to be able
26:41to lift up the scissor
26:42to be able to adjust
26:43that sluice box.
26:44Once we get that welded
26:45in place,
26:45we've got a good template.
26:46I'll be able to build
26:47the second one.
26:48The unique scissor system
26:50will mean Jim can easily
26:52change the pitch of the box.
26:54Fine-tuned for different
26:56types of pay,
26:57it will reduce the chance
26:59of the riffles packing up.
27:05We've got two plants
27:06that are nearly identical.
27:08You know,
27:08we've had to double up
27:09everything we're doing.
27:10There definitely is a lot
27:11more work going on.
27:12It'll be worth it,
27:13you know.
27:14Now more than ever,
27:15it's important that we get
27:15both plants working properly.
27:20Even if I've got to stay here
27:21a little late tonight,
27:23maybe come in early tomorrow,
27:24we'll get it done.
27:29It's coming up.
27:31I feel bad.
27:33Oh, it hurts.
27:34She's in a lot of pain.
27:36She needed to go to the hospital
27:37for x-rays.
27:38It's tough,
27:40but she's tough.
27:51You know,
27:52for something that we put together
27:53here on site
27:55with just a few parts
27:56that we had,
27:56I'm pretty happy with it.
27:57At the Gibson Mine
27:59in British Columbia,
28:00Juan and Jim finished
28:02the scissor lift
28:02for the first wash plant.
28:05Works pretty dang good.
28:07Actually,
28:08I'm a university graduate
28:09for two years
28:10to take welding.
28:11I worked graveyard
28:12and I went to school
28:14during the day
28:14for nine months.
28:15That's pretty cool.
28:16Now, how long
28:17have you guys been out here?
28:18It was after I got
28:19in my accident.
28:20What happened
28:21during your accident?
28:22It was a Friday afternoon.
28:23I had just put
28:24a new motor in my truck
28:25and I climbed underneath it,
28:27touched the linkage
28:27and it shifted into reverse.
28:29My vehicle rolled over
28:30on top of me.
28:31Wow.
28:35They didn't even know
28:36if I was going to make
28:37the first 12 hours.
28:39Broke all my ribs.
28:40What they call
28:41a flail chest.
28:42I'd never heard
28:42of that before.
28:43In 2004,
28:45Jim suffered
28:46a horrific accident
28:48when he was crushed
28:50under his three-quarter ton truck.
28:52I was in the ICU
28:54four weeks,
28:55three weeks
28:55I was in a coma.
28:59This mine
29:00was my total rehab.
29:02Walking 15,
29:0420 kilometers a day
29:05back and forth.
29:06I credit this mine
29:08with making me better.
29:11I don't know
29:12what I'd do
29:13if I had to liquidate everything.
29:15Man,
29:16that's got to be tough.
29:17Sorry, Jim.
29:18What happened
29:19was a nightmare.
29:20Hopefully for the second test run
29:21we'll be able to
29:21get you tuned in
29:23and get it where it needs to be.
29:25He's lucky to be alive.
29:27So it's even more important
29:28now than ever
29:29to get all this work done.
29:31Yeah,
29:31that's just what we have to do.
29:40You want to cut a strip
29:41of carpet for in here?
29:42Two and a quarter inches wide?
29:44To give Jim and Wendy
29:46any chance
29:47to recover fine gold,
29:48Freddie has to revive
29:50the broken shaker table.
29:52We were spoiled
29:53for so many years.
29:54We had the nuggets
29:54and the heavy gold.
29:55Now we're into the gravel
29:58so it's finer
29:59and this is where
29:59we have to catch it.
30:02A shaker table
30:03is used
30:04to separate
30:04valuable fine gold
30:06from other
30:07worthless material.
30:09Water and gravity
30:10push the gold
30:11into many riffles
30:12away from the other
30:14difficult-to-pan elements.
30:19You want the coin
30:20to move down the table
30:21at a nice rate.
30:25It's erratic as heck,
30:26isn't it?
30:28Right now it's taking
30:30one step forward,
30:31half a step back.
30:33The way it was set up
30:34it would have never worked.
30:35The bumper system
30:36on the end of it
30:37is inadequate.
30:37So we're going to modify this
30:40and try to get this table
30:41working better
30:42than they probably
30:43ever had it working.
30:44Hopefully, anyway.
30:45Fingers crossed.
30:47Freddie's plan?
30:49Attach rubber bumpers
30:50to the table mechanism
30:51to reduce the impact
30:53of each oscillation.
30:55I'm going to hold it for you?
30:57Yeah.
30:59I'm really counting
31:00on Freddie with this one
31:01but, you know,
31:03it's always a gamble.
31:06It is what it is, right?
31:07We've just got to
31:08keep on going, you know?
31:10That's how mining is.
31:11You keep on going.
31:17So I'm going to crawl under here.
31:18We're going to get ready
31:19to install those scissor lifts.
31:21By putting those scissor lifts in,
31:23we're going to put them
31:23underneath the sluice box
31:24so that way we can actually
31:25have full range of motion.
31:27Over at the plant,
31:28with both scissor lifts built,
31:30one begins on the install.
31:32It's definitely a tight fit.
31:34Luckily, I'm very agile.
31:36I'm agile like a cat.
31:38Jim, give me one of the lift systems.
31:48I'm going to finish welding this up
31:49and then I've got to
31:50jump on the next one.
31:55What a nice piece of engineering.
31:57We can adjust on the fly.
31:59When we're running different materials,
32:01sand, gravels.
32:04It's already towards the end of the day,
32:06but we still have hours of work left to go.
32:08So we're going to have to stay here tonight
32:09as long as we have to
32:10to be able to get all this done.
32:11So that way tomorrow morning
32:12we're ready to run.
32:23On the other side of the claim,
32:25Freddy has fixed the vibration rate
32:28on the table
32:29and now turns his attention
32:31to the water.
32:32We've got water now.
32:34I kind of thought maybe
32:36it would be fairly easy,
32:37but no, it's not.
32:39Hope.
32:40That's all we have to work with right now.
32:44Hope, hope, hope.
32:47Whoever did this,
32:48they necked down three-quarter to half inch,
32:51so that's restricting us.
32:53I think we need to replace it
32:55with something bigger.
33:03It looks like we may have enough water now
33:05to run this.
33:07You ready, Wendy?
33:08I'm ready.
33:09I'm excited.
33:11I'm excited.
33:14It's working now.
33:18We've done a lot of stuff here.
33:20We've got a water system
33:21hooked up to it now.
33:23We're through trial and error,
33:24and we got it figured out.
33:28See that piece of gold?
33:29It's in our high grave groove
33:30where we want it, right?
33:34Quicker than panning.
33:35It is, yeah.
33:37It's a miracle just to have it running
33:39and be able to see the gold running off the table.
33:43We made it from scrap iron and plastic
33:45to something that works.
33:47Yeah, Freddie, I'm going to give you a hug.
33:48Okay.
33:51This table's going to help them recover more
33:53of the fine gold,
33:54which could be a big deal
33:55for Jim and Wendy's future.
33:57We've got to get almost everything done today
33:59so we can run tomorrow.
34:19Well, here's the pump.
34:21Freddie's called in a favor
34:22to secure a new pump
34:24that will provide
34:25over 3,000 gallons a minute
34:27to the second plant.
34:29We can pick it up
34:30and we can put it in place.
34:31In the hopes of doubling production.
34:34What do you think about there, John?
34:36Yeah, we should be able
34:37to make that work, eh?
34:43Let's watch it run.
34:44That'll be our second test.
34:52Fire it up, Jim.
35:00First bucket launch.
35:08Yeah, come down just a little bit.
35:11One's scissor-lift sluices
35:12are calibrated to match the material.
35:15Good, good.
35:16That's perfect.
35:19Yeah!
35:24Oh!
35:27No.
35:29Just get you up the floor, do you want?
35:30Take a second.
35:31Take a second.
35:33Five minutes into the second test.
35:35Shut her down!
35:36Time is called
35:37and the run is abandoned.
35:43I feel bad.
35:45Yeah, I know it.
35:45Oh, it hurts.
35:47It hurts.
35:48Oh, shoot.
35:49I came down running
35:50to go grab a bolt
35:51for that wash plant
35:52and I tripped and fell.
35:54I hurt my shoulder.
35:56She's in a lot of pain
35:57and she needed to go for x-rays.
36:01Too bad.
36:01Her whole life down here is doing the clean-ups.
36:05But she needed to go to the hospital.
36:14Oh, no.
36:15Good day.
36:16Good and bad, huh?
36:17Yeah.
36:17In a moment of downtime...
36:19Whoa, look at that.
36:20Freddie and Juan
36:21sample a local golden delicacy.
36:24This is all 100% edible.
36:28Wow.
36:28So that's real gold, right?
36:2924-carat gold.
36:31You know me and gold, Juan?
36:32Yeah.
36:33I'm not using the toilet tonight.
36:47At the Gibson mine,
36:48with Wendy off to hospital,
36:51Jim and son John
36:52continue on
36:53with the second test.
36:56It's going to be simple now
36:57to move the box up and down.
36:59Juan did a fantastic,
37:00engineering job.
37:04The material is
37:05quite a bit cleaner.
37:06Yeah.
37:07That spray bar helped a ton.
37:09Juan's new spray bars
37:11clean the pay
37:12with 50 times more water pressure.
37:15They're running a lot more material
37:16and it's a lot cleaner
37:17than it's ever been.
37:19Everything seems to be running pretty good.
37:22The two plants
37:23now run a combined
37:2470 yards an hour,
37:26more than double
37:27the previous test.
37:30Last bucket!
37:44Well, that definitely
37:45kept me busier.
37:48Oh, I see gold.
37:58With the mats pulled,
38:00Freddy puts the resurrected
38:02gold table to the test.
38:04It didn't work at all before,
38:05but now we're getting
38:06to your fine gold,
38:07which you guys
38:07were losing a lot of.
38:09That's the difference
38:10between making a dollar
38:11and breaking even, right?
38:13That might be your fuel bill
38:14getting thrown away.
38:15That's right.
38:17He's catching the gold.
38:20Yeah, it's catching
38:2190, 95% of it,
38:22I would say, eh?
38:23Yeah.
38:24Well, let's let it finish up here
38:26and get the gold on a scale
38:28and see what we got.
38:34How's it looking, Freddy?
38:35There's gold.
38:37Gold cleaned in half the time.
38:40Jim is joined by John
38:41and grandson Logan.
38:44Let's see what we got, guys.
38:46You guys ready for this?
38:46What, 0.23 the first time, right?
38:48Yeah.
38:490.23 out of a four-hour run.
38:50Oralano?
38:51To hit their goal
38:52of 1.5 ounces a day,
38:55Jim needs the four-hour test
38:57to deliver half an ounce.
39:00Well, that's 2.6 right there.
39:01That's already more
39:02than what we did
39:03on our first run.
39:03Yeah.
39:11There you go.
39:12Half an ounce.
39:130.50.
39:15You guys run 12-hour days here,
39:17so that's an ounce and a half.
39:18In less than 60 days,
39:21the Gibsons could reach
39:22their 100-ounce goal
39:24worth $230,000.
39:28That's the most finds
39:29I've ever seen
39:30in a cleanup up here.
39:32This will make
39:32the whole difference this season.
39:34We can start paying
39:35all our bills.
39:36We hope so.
39:37When you get into
39:37that better material,
39:38it'll really show that.
39:39Yeah, it should shine.
39:41Yep.
39:41Not only is your plant
39:42working properly now,
39:43you know, you've got
39:44a gold table now
39:45that actually runs.
39:47Well, gentlemen,
39:47it's been great.
39:48We better hit the road.
39:50We've got more miners to help.
39:51I'm going to miss you guys.
39:52I miss you already.
39:54Thank you, sir.
39:55Hey, send our best to Wendy.
39:56Thank you so much.
39:57All right,
39:58we better get out of here, guys.
39:59Thanks again, guys.
40:03I'm happy with it.
40:04Yeah, I am too.
40:04Both plants were running.
40:05Yeah.
40:06It wasn't when we got here.
40:07Yeah.
40:07Right?
40:08We couldn't get to the ground
40:09we wanted to test
40:10because of the mud.
40:11Yeah.
40:11Because of the rain
40:12and no road in there.
40:13As they get into
40:13that bitter material,
40:14that number's going to come up a lot.
40:16It will.
40:16Yeah.
40:16But at the end,
40:17you know,
40:18I feel that we won.
40:19Well, we beat it.
40:20Yeah.
40:20Well, let's head out
40:21to the next one, huh?
40:21We've got more miners to help.
40:22Let's do it.
40:25The end result was really good.
40:27I think we're going to double
40:28our gold production,
40:31maybe even more than that.
40:35The future's so bright
40:38that I might have to wear these.
40:50Hey, Freddie and Juan.
40:51How are you doing?
40:52Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye.
40:54Things have changed quite a bit.
40:57Spot where Freddie took us to.
40:59Boy, oh boy, it's really good.
41:01This is five ounces of gold
41:03that we got in less than three days.
41:05We're almost at that
41:07100 ounce mark.
41:08You forgot to tell them
41:09how your shoulder is.
41:10Yeah, my shoulder's good.
41:12I'm doing well.
41:13Thanks.
41:14I'd just like to thank
41:16Freddie and Juan.
41:17Hope one of these days
41:18our paths cross again.
41:20You did a great job for us.
41:22This is the most
41:23life-changing experience.
41:24Thank you very much, you guys.
41:26We'll never forget you.
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