'Gold Rush: White Water' Season 3 Episode 9 brings Dustin’s total to $40K after resourceful Wess’ contraption
Episode 8 of the Discovery Channel documentary-series ‘Gold Rush: White Water’ Season 3 saw Dustin Hurt and his crew discover a bigger pocket of gold than they could have ever imagined, things weren’t as good for his 76-year-old father and his crew. In ‘Dakota’ Fred Hurt’s camp at “Two Fish”, on the other hand, good luck remained elusive even as tensions escalated.
Episode 9 began with Fred underwater, right underneath Thunder Fall. The crew meanwhile tried to sort out their faulty equipment -- their winch system had broken down. This was in a series of bad luck with equipment for the crew. First, it was their dredge. Their winches had also broken down on multiple occasions over the course of the season. Then it was their ten-foot-long drill bit, that they used to drill, tether and remove boulders from underneath the water.
Things went from bad to worse when Fred realized that the air supply had been cut for some reason. Under the frightening pressure of the waterfall, Fred called for help. It was a problem that Ryan had already predicted. The dredge motors kept stopping shut all throughout and Ryan was afraid of its consequences -- it provided hot water and air for the divers -- should the motor stop functioning while someone was underwater.
When they finally managed to pull Fred out, he was gasping for breath. It was a snag that could have easily turned fatal, especially considering it was a septuagenarian underwater.
At “Rainbow’s End”, Dustin’s spot, things kept getting better and better for the crew. Just when they thought that they had all but cleared the bedrock of all gold-rich gravel, they found another source, right underneath a huge boulder. This new pit promised a huge payday for Dustin, Wess, Carlos and James.
Even though it was difficult to reach -- the cracks and crevices were too narrow for their large hose -- they did not stop and give up. Wess whipped up a small contraption, much like a regular vacuum cleaner’s flattened hose, that would allow them to reach the cracks more easily. And it worked to perfection.
In the previous season, when the Hurts were on the same team, they had managed to mine almost 11 ounces of gold, worth around $15,000. This time, Dustin’s crew alone managed more than 18 ounces -- the scale did not measure more than that. So they measured it in two goes. The result was extraordinary. They had more than 27 ounces. That would be worth almost $40,000. The elation in the camp was infectious.
‘Gold Rush: White Water’ Season 3 airs on the Discovery Channel every Friday, 10 p.m. ET.