Ran across an article talking about a Crimean Oven-

http://alexandriava.gov/historic/archaeology/default.aspx?id=39470

it seems to be a civil war method of heating a tent/shelter.

It appears to be a very long Dakota Fire Hole.

I am NOT a woodsman- would something like this be at all useful these days?

Yes it would work. Some Koreans use a very similar method - and several die each winter from leaking pipes and CO poisoning. They use a fire on one end and the exhaust goes through pipes under the floor.

Saw this one too.

As a temporary installation, potentially useful (provided you won't start a ground fire). But it seems very inefficient to me. The primary mass being heated is outside the building.

I have thought about a rocket stove (or forced draft mass heater) as the core of a greenhouse. Potentially quite practical up here, with our cold climate and short growing season.

I have seem several articles that use a Deitz Oil lamp for similar purposes-

I think the Jupiter Model has a tank that would run for up to 75 hour burn time on one tank of Kerosene.

reference
http://www.lanternnet.com/Merchant2/merc...ct_Code=DHL2500

Nowhere near us much heat at one time, but probably much less fuel....