Paradise Hill, Yukon — A breakdown at one of Tony Beets’ key mining operations brought production to a halt this week after a generator failure and a misaligned conveyor belt threatened to derail the crew’s progress. But quick thinking — and even quicker repairs — helped the team get back on track just in time for a critical gold weigh-in.
Operations slowed early in the week when Mike Beets’ aging generator failed, forcing a scramble to install a backup unit retrieved from the Indian River site. After a tense setup and oil top-off, the replacement generator fired up, restoring power to the wash plant.
However, the relief was short-lived. Moments after restarting, the crew discovered the conveyor belt feeding the trommel was running crooked, spilling pay dirt — and potentially gold — off the side.
“The belt’s not sitting in the right place,” Mike said as he inspected the gap forming along the edge. The conveyor frame, already strained from earlier repairs performed by his brother Kevin last season, had twisted out of shape. One guide roller sat crooked, forcing the belt off center and threatening major gold losses.
With time short and full reconstruction requiring weeks, Mike attempted a field fix: removing the crooked roller to allow the belt to hang freely and recenter itself. After a careful lift and reset, the crew restarted the conveyor to test the adjustment.
“You can already see it starting to track over again,” Mike noted. But moments later, the belt straightened and ran smoothly. “Now it’s perfect,” he said, satisfied that production could continue.
Later in the week, Tony Beets arrived for the crucial gold weigh. To stay on pace for his season goal of 5,000 ounces, the operation needed roughly 200 ounces from the five-day run.
With the crew gathered, the scale revealed a strong result: 325.14 ounces, worth more than $800,000, bringing Tony’s season total to nearly 3,000 ounces.
“That’s not bad for five days,” Tony said, crediting the crew for keeping the site running despite mechanical setbacks. “You’re done good.”
Although delays and breakdowns remain a constant battle, Tony expressed optimism about getting all three wash plants operating simultaneously as gold prices stay high.
“That 5,000 ounces will come from somewhere,” he said before sending the crew back to work.
