A Rocky Start at the Long Cut
Early in the mining season, Parker Schnabel’s crew faced one setback after another at the Long Cut. His wash plant, Roxanne, had finally begun processing ditch pay dirt, but it didn’t take long for problems to hit.
Nozzles quickly clogged with sticks and debris, choking the plant’s water supply. Upon inspection, Mitch Blashke and Tyson Lee discovered that thick mud in the pond had collapsed part of the suction basket, pulling sediment into the plant and jamming the spray bars.
“This thing just imploded,” one crew member noted. “That’s why all this junk is in our wash plant.”
A Chain Reaction of Disasters
As if that wasn’t enough, disaster struck again when a loader accidentally slammed into the radial stacker that feeds the wash plant. The collision burst a tire and nearly tipped the machine into the pre-wash system.
“We don’t have any spares,” Parker said in disbelief. “This could shut us down completely.”
The crew scrambled to improvise. With no replacement tires available, they jacked the stacker up and blocked it with wooden beams just to get it level. Meanwhile, the suction basket had to be welded back together and the spray bars painstakingly cleared of debris.
Three Hours Lost, Gold on the Line
After nearly three hours of downtime, Roxanne finally roared back to life. Water flowed steadily, dirt was added, and the crew could only hope that Parker’s gamble on opening the Long Cut first this season would pay off.
“It’s hungry,” Mitch said of the wash plant. “Big Red can chew through material, but Roxanne is a beast. Hopefully we can keep her running.”
With Parker chasing a massive 10,000-ounce goal, he needs more than 475 ounces per week to stay on track. The pressure couldn’t be higher.
The Disappointing Weigh-In
At the gold room, the results were underwhelming. As the crew poured the cleanup into the pan, it was clear the haul wouldn’t be huge.
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Final Tally: 30.80 ounces – worth just over $77,000.
The small take left Parker visibly frustrated. “We did a lot more sluicing than what’s sitting there,” he admitted. “If this keeps up, I’ll go broke.”
A Season on the Brink
While Parker reminded his crew that every big goal starts with small wins, he couldn’t hide his concern. “I expect some calibration problems on this ground,” he said. “We’ll figure out the most efficient way of running it. But this cannot become a theme.”
For now, Roxanne is back online, but the clock is ticking. To hit his ambitious target, Parker will need the Long Cut to produce in a big way—or risk watching his 10,000-ounce dream collapse.
📺 Parker Schnabel stars in Discovery Channel’s Gold Rush. Don’t miss more mining drama and subscribe to Discovery Australia for exclusive content.
