• 28. 10. 2024, 16:45

THE BREAKDOWN. After constructing dirt roads and river crossings, access to the new mining site is completed. Warren and Konrad are first to the reach the hotspot and setup in prime position, but the equipment is not running properly. There is a confrontation between Gary and Peter on the way to the site about Gary’s reckless driving. The divers start to pump the river bank. The classifiers and jig are processing concentrate: bags are slowly being filled. However, there are constant breakdowns and stoppages as the team try to find a way to get the pumps primed and running at full power. They are desperately searching for solutions and have taken to repairing and modifying the equipment on site. This is starting to affect productivity and morale. A new plan is hatched to solve the pump problems: get larger and more powerful pumps. The divers are dispatched to fetch these from South Africa, but they are much to heavy for the trailers used to tow them. The trip back over the mountain passes is made even more dangerous because of the overloaded trailers. The new pumps are set up the next day, but they come with problems of their own. Jan, the equipment supplier, returns to find a solution to the pumping dilemma. He doesn’t believe the machines can work at altitude. There is a confrontation between Jan and the miners. They take him to task about his lack of foresight and research. Warren has a close call when he breathes poisonous fumes while diving. Luckily Gary notices and pulls him from the water. Peter returns to the valley with a new plan to use the smaller pumps. Warren drives the TLB too close to Gary and endangers him by dropping big boulders while he is diving. Warren and Gary continue to aggravate each other and they get drunk and have a fistfight while at a nearby ski resort. Gary is badly beaten and injured. There is a lot of fallout when they return to the lodge. Gary’s jaw is in a bad way and there are fears it may be broken. Don and Konrad are concerned by Gary’s behaviour and debate his future at the mine.