From the S&S archives: Warm spell hits Winter Olympics

ST. MORITZ, Feb. 4 — Anticipated U. S. triumphs in the men's figure skating and the Cresta Run one-man bobsled race in the winter Olympics were delayed, at least temporarily, when warm weather necessitated postponement of these events until tomorrow. But Americans, a bit gloomy after a series of disappointments and misfortunes, were given their moment of glory as a surprise.

Mrs. Gretchen Kunig Fraser, 28-year-old Vancouver (Wash.) resident, became the first American to win a medal in the fifth Olympiad when she finished second to Austria's Trudy Beiser in the Alpine Combined ski race, trailing by the slim margin of 6.58 points to 6.95. Third place went to Erika Mahringer of Austria with 7.04.

Mrs. Fraser was considered one of the lesser lights of the U. S. team, despite her record of winning the U. S. downhill and combined title in 1941, the national slalom crown in 1942, and the Harriman Cup. Her performance today, however, was sensational.

Andrea Mead, the 15-year-old "darling" of the U. S. ski team, had another hard-luck fall and finished 21st, while Ruth Marie Stewart of Hanover (N. H.) and Mrs. Rebecca Cremer of Woodstock (Vt.) placed 16th and 17th, respectively.

In becoming the first American ever to win an Olympic skiing medal, Mrs. Fraser stole the limelight from all except Henry Oreiller of France, who became the first competitor to win two gold medals in the current games. Oreiller, a daredevil performer in his first triumph in the two-mile downhill race on Monday, was more cautious in avoiding a spill today which might have robbed him of the Alpine Combined title.

Except for the slaloms it was a dull day on the Olympic front. Competition in both the men's and women's figure skating was postponed due to the soft ice, as was a scheduled non-Olympic-title hockey game between the American AHA team and Canada.

The bobsled run also was too mushy for the final three heats, in which Jack Heaton of the U.S. is expected to wipe out a narrow lead held by John G. Crammond of England if weather permits tomorrow.

M. J. Clarke of London, president of the International Skating Union, said that figure skating will be abandoned from the Olympics unless weather permits resumption. Dick Button, 18-year-old-American, has a long lead over Hans Gerschwiler of Switzerland with 60 pert cent of the competition concluded,

Olympics officials have said that, regardless of weather forcing postponement of events, the fifth Olympiad will come to a close at 4 p.m. Sunday.