The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-28
POLAND ERECTS
 SANDBAC FORTS
Trains Scheduled to Start for Germany All Being
 Held Up
BY EDWARD w. BEATTIE, JR. (JJnited Press Staff CorreSnondant)

Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 28 - U.P) - Government employees began erecting sandbag barriers today at power stations and other vital points as the Polish press for the first time, in inspired editorials, re- ferred to the danger of war.
 The border with Germany was closed at some points. The Nord ex- press which usually leaves at 1:20 p. m. for Berlin, Paris and Calais, did not depart. Other trains due to leave for Germany also were expect ed to be held up.
 The newspapers, declaring that a decision on war is near and that the next few hours may tell the story, informed the people, (who up to now have not been told war may be imminent even though they req lized it) that Germany Is using the same tactics as last year against Czechoslovakia.
 World Will Know
 The press declared Germany is trying to throw the onus of aggres- sion on Poland, but that the world will know who the aggressor is.
 The German training ship Schles- wig Holstein, a converted pre-war battleship which has been visiting Danzig, postponed its scheduled de- parture today it was reported here Instead, it turned in the Danzie harbor and lay with its guns trained in the direction of the Polish harbor of Gdkynia, it was reported.
 The maneuyer caused something akin to amusement in Warsaw. The ship is built in 1903 and is consid- cred an armored vessel completely obsolete.
 It was believed that the guns of Polish coastal forts could sink the Schleswig- -Holstein easily in event of war. Polish circles believed the maneuver was to propagandize the Danzigers by showing them Ger many is protecting them.
 Tension Increases
 Increasing tension along the Polish German frontier today ag- gravated the plight of thousands of persons, including many Americans, who were seeking transportation out of the country.
 The government reported that German patrols had three times raided the Polish border and been repulsed and that three Polish con- sulates in Germany had been iso- lated by police and two Polish high schools raided, the teachers and older boys carried away in trucks.
 Because of frightened restrictions on the German side, notices were put up in Warsaw railway stations informing refugees that Poland could not be responsible if they were not permitted to cross into the Reich.
 Border Being Closed
 The western border was gradually being closed by new restrictions There was no through traffic on the main railway line to the north by way of zbaszyn, where the Ger. mans closed the frontier yesterday although other trains to the Reich were still operating to Vienna by way of Bogumin in Moravia and tc Breslau by way of Lempno.
 Rumors were current all morning that airplane service to Copenhagen by way of Gdynia would be sus- pended, but airways officials denied them.
 Thousands of refugees attempted to make last minute changes in their schedules to the more round- about route by way of Riga or the equally tortuous highway routes to Bucharest and Budapest.
 Trains and automobiles arriving in Warsaw from the frontier re- gions afforded spectacles similar to those in Prague 8 year ago when thousands of men, women and chil- dren, laden with baskets and bun dles of clothing, were fleeing from the Germans.
 In many corridor towns the only signs of life were the long columns of troops tramping toward the frontier, singing their marching songs.
 Americans Have Task
 American authorities in Poland were faced with the stupendous task of getting their nationals to places of safety, but the very magnitude of the problem helped toward its so- lution by forcing consular and em- bassy staffs to work night and day.
 From 600 to 800 Americans were registered at the United States con- sulate, but 1t was said there mighl be as many as 3o,0o0 in all asking for aid.
 The relatively small number reg. istered included only a handful oI native-born Americans of American