DIAMOND RIVER HUNTERS
BIG STONE FEVER. The team are pinning their hopes on the new hopper, as the more ground they can move, the more chance there is of finding big diamonds. The hopper is eventually completed and it is tested for the 1st time. But it’s not long before it is clogged and has to be shut down while they find the blockage. Peter and Rob are concerned about leaving Warren behind unsupervised, but they have no choice. Kim goes through the backlog of bags and finds a small two carat diamond. With most of the investors away on business the mine is being run with a skeleton crew. Tensions rise as Alan’s hasty approach to sorting the bags is not appreciated by Kim or Warren. There is a massive confrontation between Alan and Warren. Alan is frustrated by delays with the hopper. Friction between him and Warren is growing and frustrations boil over. They have another huge confrontation. Thabo the labour broker arrives on site to mediate a labour dispute, it seems the local team are not being paid. The hopper is moved and the platform rebuilt to get it working again. Warren overloads it and the operation is halted once again. He is frustrated and blames the investors for not researching the equipment properly. There is a big storm overnight and the river cannot be crossed. Warren and Alan are forced to walk to the mining site, where they find the equipment in danger of being swept away by the rising river. Warren jumps in the TLB and manages to hoist the pumps and machinery out of the flood zone. Warren has a close call when his air hose is not been connected properly and he is breathing from the wrong compressor, inhaling diesel fumes, which could coat his lungs and kill him. Alan leaves on a fishing trip and Warren is left to run the operation on his own. Immediately there is a confrontation between Warren and Simon. Warren cannot cope on his own, but Rob returns and relieves him. He sends Warren up the valley with a small team to prospect for diamonds. The new plan is to mine at both the sites as much as possible before the winter snows drive them out the valley. The Lesotho government agrees to convert their prospecting license into a mining license, which will allow them to export the diamonds they have found. A mines official arrives at the mine to certify that the diamonds are legitimate and not bought illegally. Big stone fever grips Warren and he goes rogue, consumed by the desire to find a massive diamond. But he is unsuccessful so Alan is forced to send him back to the mining site.
