During his time as partner , the Great Chicago Fire occurred , nearly destroying the city as well as the company , however ; due to the high demand for hardware during the rebuilding of the city , the business , ironically , prospered . It was Bartlett 's persuasive letter writing style which convinced suppliers to maintain their relationship with the company during the reconstruction . After fully recovering , the company continued to grow and in 1877 began to offer profit sharing to all members of the firm , increasing its overall value
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Adolphus C. Bartlett