stopped the machine that helps him breathe.

The 65-year-old Dockyard resident has a collapsed lung and needs a special oxygen supply to breathe normally.

Police had a frantic call from the man's wife at 6 a.m. on Saturday, soon after the Island-wide blackout started.

Officers rushed to his home to give him an oxygen cylinder from their patrol car. At 10 a.m. they returned to give him another one.

Later that day they brought him a large cylinder from King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, with a two-day supply.

Chief Inspector Dave Barber, in charge of western division Police, said officers carried oxygen in their cars for emergencies.

Residents often called them in medical crises because the hospital was so far away, he said.

"The man's machine was out of order and he was having problems. He has a collapsed lung and can't breathe normally without the assistance of oxygen.

His oxygen machine is dependent on the electrical supply.'' Bermudians are stocking up with emergency equipment following the mystery blackout.

A sudden rush of enquiries about portable generators has hit tool supplier Williams Trading. "It's most unusual,'' said manager Mr. Conrad Soares.

A $1,650 gasoline generator could supply power to a fridge, TV, lighting system and stove, he said.

Saturday saw stores like Gorham's and PW's swamped with shoppers demanding batteries, flashlights, camping stoves, rope, buckets and bottled water.

"We had gangs of people,'' said Gorham's general manager Mr. Rod Ferguson.

"We had to restrict access to the store and admit them as we could cope with them.'' Mr. Bobby Rego, vice-president of Knick Knack and Chamber of Commerce spokesman for stores, said shoppers were buying oil lamps and candles yesterday.

The "vast majority'' of Hamilton's shops had been forced to close on Saturday, he said.

"It was more like closing in the event of a hurricane. We had no choice. We had to take it on the chin.'' He believed staff at most stores would be paid for the day.

Belco is still trying to discover the cause of the blackout, spokeswoman Ms Linda Smith said.