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.