1999 Other Oldsmobile Models Starting after running out of G

We ran our van out of gas and cannot get it started again. Is there a trick to this? We had another car hooked up to the battery and tried for about an hour to crank and crank, but it would not catch. I cannot tell if it is not getting gas, or whether it is flooded? Or is there a pressure release some where or do I have to manually pump the gas up to the engine? Is the pump in the tank not a self priming pump? I only put three gals of gas into the tank, is this not enough to reach the pump? Help ! I cannot afford to take it to the shop to have it fixed. Thanks, Doug