B737-400 CREW USED THE EMER EXIT LIGHTS TO DEPLANE THE PAX. THE APU WAS MEL'ED INOP; AND GND PWR WAS UNAVAILABLE.

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I WAS THE CAPT ON FLT AB ORD TO SEA ON JUL/FRI/04 WITH NO APU. ON DSCNT; I MADE SURE SEA OPS KNEW WE HAD NO APU AND TO STANDBY WITH EXTERNAL PWR. UPON ARR AT THE GATE I SHUT DOWN THE #2 ENG AND WAS WAITING FOR THE EXTERNAL PWR. THE PWR WAS NOT GOOD. I MOTIONED TO THE RAMP AGENT THAT WE NEEDED A PWR CART. MEANWHILE THE GATE AGENT DID NOT WANT TO BRING THE JETWAY TO THE ACFT. I COULD NOT GET HER ATTN. THE FO FOR THE NEXT FLT WAS DOWN WITH THE RAMP AGENTS ALSO TRYING TO GET AN EXTERNAL PWR CART. AFTER A FEW MINS WITH NO PWR; NO JETWAY; AND PAX STARTING TO WORRY ABOUT CONNECTIONS; I ELECTED TO SHUT DOWN THE #1 ENG. BEFORE I DID THAT; I INFORMED THE PAX OF IT BEING A LITTLE DARK AND THERE WOULD BE SOME EMER LIGHTS ON FOR A LITTLE BIT OF TIME. AT XA30Z IT WAS STILL DAY BUT IT WAS STILL DARK IN THE CABIN AND I WANTED SOME LIGHT FOR A SHORT TIME SO THE PAX COULD SEE BETTER. KNOWING THERE WAS SOME TIME TO RECHARGE THE BATTERIES BUT NOT KNOWING HOW LONG I OPTED TO TURN THE EMER LIGHTS OFF AFTER 5-7 MINS. DURING THIS TIME I KEPT THINKING THAT EXTERNAL PWR WAS GOING TO GET HOOKED UP. THE PWR NEVER DID GET HOOKED UP AND AFTER 20 MINS I LEFT THE ACFT AFTER GATHERING MY THINGS AND TALKING TO THE ONCOMING CREW. NOTHING WAS SAID OR KNOWN ABOUT THE ACFT HAVING A WRITE-UP IN THE LOGBOOK. LOOKING BACK; I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THE USE OF THE EMER LIGHTS. I HAD NO IDEA IT TAKES 2 HR FOR EVERY MIN PAST 2 MINS TO RECHARGE. AFTER FINDING THIS OUT; I ASKED A DOZEN PLTS AND THEY HAD NO IDEA EITHER; SINCE THERE IS NO TRAINING ON THIS OR IN OUR MANUALS.